


Operation: Chenji

by zhongwritings



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, ChenJi, Class President!Chenle, Comedy, Feelings, Fluff, Kissing, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Strangers to Lovers, markhyuck if you use a microscope, nomin, side nomin, soccer player!jisung
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:14:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 20,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26977936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zhongwritings/pseuds/zhongwritings
Summary: Chenle has an enormous crush on Jisung, who barely even knows he exists. Jisung is the ace player of the soccer team, and he is simultaneously trying to balance his terrible grades with his soccer career, as well as being the wingman to his best friend Jeno’s infatuation with the vice president of the student council, Na Jaemin; who, in turn, wants to get closer to Jeno so he can help him set Chenle up with Jisung. Cue: Jaemin’s Magic Pink Notebook & Operation: Chenji
Relationships: Park Jisung & Zhong Chen Le
Comments: 14
Kudos: 133





	1. Chapter 1

Chenle hummed quietly to himself as he finished writing his name on the last batch of assignments he had to complete.

It was just past midnight, and the last day before spring break ended, meaning he was going back to school on Monday.

After stacking all of his papers together, Chenle rose from his desk and stretched his back, turning off his desk lamp and laying in his bed.

Before sleeping, he decided to check his phone.

_**Jaem (11:48 pm)** _

**__** _let’s hang tomo_

_okie?_

_lele..._

_don’t tell me you’re still studying_

_ugh_

_boring_

_anyways text me back before you go to sleep_

_**Chenle (12:17 am)**_

**** _Hey Jaem_

_I’m down to hang tomorrow_

_**Jaem (12:18 am)** _

**__** _yay !!_

_okay my house at like one_

_sound good?_

_**Chenle (12:20 am)**_

**** _Sounds great_

_**Jaem (12:21 am)** _

**__** _okie_

_goodnight lele <3_

_**Chenle (12:22 am)**_

**** _Lol goodnight jaem_

Chenle sighed as his head hit his pillow.

 _School on Monday huh?_ He wondered to himself. _Back to the swing of things…_

~

The following morning, Chenle woke up and ate breakfast alone, like he did everyday. He got ready and drove over to Jaemin’s house while singing along lightly to whatever music was blasting through his car’s speakers.

Life was normal.

“Chenle!” Jaeming shouted as he threw his front door open, running out onto the grass and squeezing Chenle into a tight hug. “I missed you!”

“You went on vacation for a week, Jaem,” Chenle croaked out, patting his best friend’s back.

“But I still missed you,” Jaemin said, pouting as he led Chenle into the house.

“How was vacation, by the way?” Chenle asked as he stepped into Jaemin’s room.

“Great!” Jaemin cheered. “I’m glad I’m home, though. I missed you and Hyuck.”

“Well I’m glad you’re home, too,” Chenle replied, a smile appearing on his face. “By the way, where is Hyuck? Is he coming?”

“No,” Jaemin said, rolling his eyes. “He said he was going to watch Mark’s soccer practice and then they were going on a date after. We’ll see him tomorrow, though!”

“Yeah, we will,” Chenle said.

An awkward silence fell over the room, enveloping the two boys. 

Chenle bit his lip, looking over at Jaemin, whose eyes were watching him.

“... what?” Chenle asked, huffing out a frustrated sigh.

“We could go watch the soccer team’s practice… if you want?” Jaemin suggested.

“No, no,” Chenle said, shaking his head. “We’ll have plenty of time to support them when the season starts next week. No need to go now!”

“But you can see Jisung before school starts,” Jaemin spoke, putting emphasis on the word ‘Jisung’.”I heard he dyed his hair back to black…”

“Really?” Chenle asked, his eyes shooting up at Jaemin. “His hair hasn’t been black since the eighth grade! Jaemin I swear to God if you’re lying…”

“I guess you’ll have to see for yourself then, huh?” Jaemin proposed, a smirk coming across his face. “Before all of his little fangirls see him tomorrow, you’ll catch the first glimpse! An exclusive viewing of _The Park Jisung!_ How does that sound?”

Chenle froze for a moment, staring wildly at Jaemin.

 _An exclusive viewing of The Park Jisung_ , the words echoed over and over in his mind, stinging his ears with a deep, red blush. _Before all his little fangirls see him tomorrow..._

“I’ll get my keys.” Chenle said simply, rising from Jaemin’s bed, running out of his room and nearly jumping down the stairs.

~

Chenle pulled up to the high school, parking his car right behind the soccer field, where the soccer team was currently doing laps.

“Are you sure?” Chenle asked, turning towards Jaemin with a nervous expression on his face.

“I already told Hyuck we were here,” Jaemin said, shrugging. “So we kinda have to go now!”

Before Chenle could protest further, Jaemin got out of the car, running towards the field like a maniac.

“Jaemin!” Chenle shouted after him, rolling his eyes as he locked his car and started jogging towards the stands, where he could see Hyuck sitting.

~

“Hey,” Chenle greeted as he climbed the stands.

“Lele!” Hyuck cheered, jumping to his feet and hugging the other boy. “I missed you!”

“I missed you too, Hyuck,” Chenle said, laughing at his friends. 

Jaemin was sitting on the stands with his hand over his eyes, scanning the group of boys that were now standing on the field in a circle, kicking a ball back and forth between each other randomly.

“There he is!” Jaemin almost shouted, pointing to a tall boy with jet-black hair.

Chenle warily stepped to the front of the stands, until he was leaning against the railing, searching the crowd for the familiar boy.

 _There he is_ , Chenle thought as he watched Jisung converse with the boy beside him. He started laughing brightly as he adjusted his hair, and Chenle knew he was in love. He leaned his head onto his hand and stared lovingly at the boy, hearts nearly forming in his eyes.

“Like what you see?” A voice came from beneath Chenle. 

He looked down to the walkway that lay beneath the stands, and met eyes with the soccer team’s coach, Coach Nakamoto.

“Good afternoon Mr. Nakamoto!” Chenle greeted, bowing harshly over the railing. His face was bright red with a blush, as he realized what the man had seen.

“Why don’t you come down here Chenle,” Coach Nakamoto suggested.

Chenle nodded as he turned to his best friends, shaking his head in embarrassment as he bounded down the metal stairs.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Nakamoto,” Chenle greeted once more, bowing properly to the man.

“That’s Coach Nakamoto,” The older man said, motioning to the whistle that hung around his neck. “I’ll be Mr. Nakamoto tomorrow morning in your AP Physics class.”

“Oh, right,” Chenle said, smiling. 

“Why don’t you come say a word to the boys?” He suggested. “I’m sure they’d be glad to hear something from their beloved student council president. What do you say?” “I’m not sure,” Chenle replied, shaking his head no. “They’re probably busy. I wouldn't want to intrude…”

“Oh, no,” Coach Nakamoto said, waving his hand at Chenle. “You’ve got quite a few fans on this team. I’m sure they’d be elated. Besides,” he looked down at his watch for a moment before nodding. “It’s about time they took a break anyway.”

“Sir-”

Chenle wasn’t able to protest any further, because Coach Nakamoto was wrapping an arm around his shoulder and dragging him towards the center of the field.

When the pair reached the soccer team, Coach Nakamoto blew the whistle that was around his neck, halting the boys.

“Water break, then come half-circle up! You have ten seconds!” He shouted.

The boys all nodded before running off to the benches to grab their water bottles, before coming back to the center of the field, all of them sitting down in a half-circle around Chenle and Coach Nakamoto.

“Now I know some of you have a bit of an obsession with our precious student council president,” The older man started. “But you’re going to have to keep the hearts in your eyes until he’s done speaking. He’s going to say a few words so listen to him! Both you and your grades need it.”

The boys laughed, and then started whooping and hollering once Chenle was left alone before them.

He smiled lightly as he felt a blush creeping onto his cheeks. He bowed politely, before his eyes settled comfortably on the black-haired boy who was sitting directly in front of him.

“I didn’t have anything prepared, so I apologize if this isn’t that great of a speech,” Chenle began, a soft giggle coming from the back of his throat. 

A jumble of ‘it’s okay!’s and ‘anything you say will do!’s came from the crowd. Chenle smiled.

“Well, as you all know, school begins again tomorrow,” He started once more. The crowd grumbled. “But this semester is going to be what you make it! So just do your best, and I promise everything will turn out great. School might be hard for some of you, but I’m always available to help tutor, if any of you need it. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Uhm, I know we have a great soccer team! I’m sure we can depend on you guys to bring home some wins, right?” The group of boys started shouting, cheering ‘yes’s and ‘anything for you’s. “I won’t keep you longer. Thank you for being such a great team! See you all tomorrow!”

Coach Nakamoto nodded to Chenle as he bowed and walked off of the field, the soccer team’s relentless cheers following him.

“They really love you,” Jaemin said once Chenle was finally seated back beside him. “You could literally have anyone on that team. I don’t know why you insist on having this crush on Jisung.”

“Hey, what am I supposed to do?” Chenle asked. “I can’t change my feelings! I just… like him…”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jaemin said, rolling his eyes. 

The three boys went on with watching the rest of the practice, Chenle’s eyes not wavering from Jisung the entire time.

Once the practice was over, Chenle, Jaemin, and Donghyuck marched down the stands and walked over to where Hyuck’s boyfriend, Mark, was standing at the benches. He waved cheerily at the trio.

“Hey, Mark,” Chenle greeted, bowing to the older boy.

“Hey, Pres,” Mark replied, a bright smile on his face. “Hyuck and I are going out after this, are you guys coming along?”

“Oh, no-” Chenle started, pausing once he heard someone calling for him.

“Hey, Pres!”

He and his friends turned to the source of the voice, and Chenle was sure his jaw was about to hit the floor once he saw who it was.

There was Jisung, marching towards them with a smile on his face.

_Five minutes earlier._

“That was the student council president who gave that speech, right?” Jisung asked Jeno as they walked back to the bench.

“Yeah,” Jeno replied, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “You didn’t know?” “Oh, you know I don’t pay attention to stuff like that,” Jisung said, laughing. “So, if he’s the student council president… that must mean he’s close with the vice… president… right?”

“He is…” Jeno said, eyeing the younger boy. “Why…?”

“Maybe I can ask him to hook you guys up?” Jisung suggested. “You and Mister Vice President.”

“What?” Jeno exclaimed, nearly spitting his water out. 

“It’s not like you’re doing anything about it,” Jisung mumbled. “Your little… crush~”

“I don’t have a crush,” Jeno protested, shaking his head.

“Look, Jen, all I’m saying is… is you’re going to graduate without a boyfriend, and you can’t blame me when Na Jaemin goes off to college in some big city, finds himself a man, and forgets you even existed.”

“I-”

“I’ll work my magic for you, just watch,” Jisung said, winking at the older boy as he jogged off towards Chenle and his group of friends.

~

“Hey, pres,” Jisung said once more once he reached the group. “How are you?”

Chenle nearly lost it.

He looked to Jaemin for a moment, giving him a ‘pinch me, please’ look. Jaemin just shook his head, nodding to Jisung.

“H-Hi!” Chenle greeted too cheerily. “I’m doing great, how are… you?”

“Oh, shoot, you probably have no clue who I am,” Jisung said, scratching the back off his neck. “I’m Jisung. Park Jisung.” He then extended a hand out to Chenle.

_I know who you are… so much more than that._

“Zhong Chenle…” Chenle said, taking Jisung’s hand in his and shaking it.

He was almost in a dream state.

Was Park Jisung talking to him? Was Park Jisung shaking his hand?

What was going on?

An awkward air settled over the group, and before he let Chenle embarrass himself any further, Jaemin stepped forward.

“I’m Na Jaemin, your vice president,” He said, waving to Jisung.

“Oh, I know who you are!” Jisung replied. 

“So, what’s up?” Jaemin asked.

“I just wanted to come say hey, before we get back into the swing of things tomorrow,” Jisung said, looking back to Chenle. “We should all hang sometime! I’ll bring Jeno along, what do you think?”

Chenle didn’t say anything, his eyes just sat wide as he stared up at Jisung.

“We’d love that!” Jaemin cheered. “Let us know when, and we’ll be there!”

“Oh, cool,” Jisung said, smiling. “I’ll let you know, then.”

“That would be great,” Jaemin replied, watching as the boy waved and walked back off to where he came from.

“Chenle,” Jaemin said, turning towards the younger boy once Jisung was out of sight. “Chenle!”

“Yeah…?” Chenle asked, looking up at Jaemin as he came out of his trance.

“Wake up!” Jaemin shouted. “Did you not register what just happened? Did you not hear what Jisung just said?”

“I heard,” Chenle replied. “I must be dreaming, though. This feels… fake.”

“Well it isn’t!” Jaemin said, shaking Chenle’s shoulders in his hands. “This is your chance. This has got to be… divine intervention? Someone is watching over you, Zhong Chenle.”

“Do you really think so?” Chenle asked, turning towards Jaemin fully. The soccer team was now gone, Hyuck and Mark having already taken their leave and started off towards Mark’s car long ago.

“I know so,” Jaemin said. “We’re getting you a boyfriend this semester. And it’s going to be Park Jisung.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello and welcome to another fic !! this one is really fluffy and cute, i love it a lot and it actually exists because today is my six-month anniversary as an au/fic writer. i started on twitter on april 12th, 2020, with my 'skater au' (my special child), and now i'm here on ao3 - as well as twt - anyways, thank you for a fantastic six months and thank you for clicking on and reading this fic! i certainly hope you enjoy. please leave comments and kudos, they are MUCH appreciated. if you want to follow my twitter my handle is @zhongwritings and if you have any kind messages please send them to me via dm or curiouscat which is @zhongwritings ,, happy reading :^) <333


	2. Chapter 2

The following morning, Chenle parked his car in the “Student Council President” spot that sat right at the head of the parking spaces, and then happily marched into his homeroom.

Chenle always arrived early to school.

As the student council president, it was his job to make sure that all of the student’s affairs were in order, as well as boosting both the academic and athletic morale of the students.

He loved his job, and nearly all of the students were fans of his.

Thirty minutes after Chenle had arrived, Jaemin trotted into the classroom, placing his bag at the desk behind Chenle’s.

“Good morning,” He greeted, a deep yawn escaping his throat.

“Good morning, Jaem,” Chenle said as he stacked the papers he was working on into a pile. He turned to his best friend, who was busy staking his textbooks onto his desk.

“There isn’t that much work today, right?” Jaemin questioned as he eyed the stack of papers on Chenle’s desk.

“I finished it up, already,” Chenle replied, a smile coming onto his face.

“So that means that we have some time to plan…” Jaemin mumbled as he pulled a small, pink notebook from the inside of his desk.

“Plan what?” Chenle asked, peering his eyes over Jaemin’s desk and into the notebook, where it’s tiny pink pages were scribbled with random dates and pages upon pages of notes.

“You and Jisung getting together,” Jaemin replied absentmindedly as he searched for a blank page.

“Jaem-” “Here!” Jaemin shouted, slamming the notebook onto the desk, two clean, blank pages shining brightly up at Chenle. “This will be our database, the headquarters for this operation, the United Nations of relationships, if you will.”

“Jaemin, I don’t want-”

“Enough!” Jaemin exclaimed, staring up at Chenle with fire in his eyes. “I’m getting you a date with Jisung, at the _very_ least. You saw how he came and spoke with you yesterday. He even wanted to hang out with you!”

“He wanted to hang out with everyone in a group,” Chenle replied, rolling his eyes.

“No matter,” Jaemin said, lifting his pink pen up and scribbling a few words onto the top of the first page. 

‘Operation: Chenji’

“Chenji?” Chenle questioned, quirking an eyebrow at the unfamiliar word.

“Chen-” Jaemin said, pushing the butt of his pen into Chenle’s arm. “Ji-” He lifted the pen, and then pressed it into the skin above Chenle’s heart. “It’s a ship-name.” He smiled.

“For Chenle and Jisung?” Chenle questioned.

“Yup!” Jaemin cheered. “I stayed up all night trying to think of a plan, and I think I have devised the perfect one… of course, I waited to write it down until sharing it with you, because I know you can be a bit _particular_ about things like this. So, are you at least willing to hear my plan that I stayed up for hours devising?” He asked, fluttering his eyelashes at Chenle.

Chenle sighed.

“Sure, fine,” He grumbled.

“Great!” Jaemin exclaimed. “So here’s what I’ll do. You know how Jisung has that friend on the soccer team? Jeno Lee? Well his mom and my mom work together at the hospital. I figured I would become friends with him because of that, and then we would gradually bring you and Jisung together. Like, the four of us would hang out, and I’m sure Jeno’s straight, but I’ll flirt with him or whatever, and you and Jisung will have no choice but to get closer. If we play our cards right, you and Jisung should be together by mid-June. How does that sound?” He looked hopeful, his big doe eyes peering over at Chenle, pleading with him, begging him to say yes.

Chenle thought it over.

If Jisung catches on, or gets a girlfriend, or somehow rejects him, then the worst he would have to deal with would be one final school year with the boy. And besides, they barely saw each other anyway, right?

It’s not like Jaemin’s plan would work, Chenle was sure of that. He and Jisung didn’t have anything in common, they were in their third year of high school and had said a total of eight words to each other since meeting in the sixth grade -yes, Chenle counted them-

He smiled back at his best friend, happy to appease the king people-pleaser himself.

“Why not?” Chenle said, a small smile coming over his face as Jaemin screamed in excitement, and started scribbling down his plan at the speed of light, the words lifting out of the pen’s ink and onto the paper at rapid-speed.

_If Jaemin’s happy… then it’ll be fine. What’s three months of silly planning? Maybe Jisung and I will actually become friends…_ Chenle wondered, his thoughts trailing off as his classmates started to enter the classroom.

~

Luckily for Jaemin, both Jeno and Jisung were in his and Chenle’s homeroom, making it just a bit easier to try to talk with the other boys.

And tried, Jaemin did.

Every day, he approached either Jeno or Jisung, and both of the boys seemed either too distracted or too confused to really say anything.

While he was delivering graded papers to the teacher’s lounge during his free period, Jaemin finally found his chance.

There Jisung was, leaning against one of the window’s in the West hallway, typing away excitedly on his cellphone.

_This is it._ Jaemin thought. _Operation: Chenji… Let’s go._

Jaemin straightened his back as he approached Jisung, until he finally reached out and tapped his shoulder.

“Hi, Jisung,” Jaemin greeted.

“Oh, hi Jaemin!” Jisung replied. “What’s up?”

“Oh, nothing. I’m on a free period right now, what about you?” “I’m skipping Chemistry, haha,” Jisung said, laughing.

Jaemin furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, but didn’t question the other boy further.

“So, the other day you asked Chenle about hanging out,” Jaemin began. “Were you serious?”

“Oh, yeah, of course,” Jisung said, nodding. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“No reason,” Jaemin said, shaking his head. “So when do you wanna? You suggested hanging with Jeno as well, right?”

Jaemin noticed that Jisung seemed to perk up even further at the mention of Jeno’s name.

“Whenever is cool, Jeno actually-”

“Jisung Park,” A stern voice called from down the hallway. Jisung’s ears went pink at the sound. “You have five seconds to get back in my class. Or else.”

Jaemin peered around Jisung’s shoulder and saw Mr. Suh, Jisung’s Chemistry teacher, standing tall at the end of the hallway.

“I’ll see you later, Jaemin,” Jisung said hurriedly before rushing off down the hallway.

___Once again,_ Jaemin thought, huffing out a sigh as he walked to the teacher’s lounge. _I’ve failed. What is going on… And what was he going to say about Jeno?_

~

On Thursday morning, Jaemin huffed out a deep sigh of defeat as Chenle shrugged his shoulders.

Even though he spoke with Jisung yesterday, it seemed like they would never get the chance to actually hang out.

What was he doing wrong?

“What can you do?” He asked, a mock-apologetic expression coming over his face. “They practice during lunch, and after school. It’s not like they have an allotment of free time, Jaem. Their season starts this weekend.”

“I know,” Jaemin grumbled, an idea suddenly popping into his head. “You know what? I’m gonna try extra hard today. Just watch. I’ll get them to eat lunch with us for sure. I think I know their weak spot.”

“Sure…” Chenle replied, nodding.

During their lunch break, Jaemin nearly ran from his seat as Jeno stood to step out of the classroom.

“Hey, Jeno,” Jaemin said, flashing him a bright smile.

“H-hey… Jaemin…” Jeno replied, his eyes shaking from Jaemin’s eyes to Jisung, who stood behind Jaemin, a deep smirk on his face.

“Do you and Jisung want to eat lunch with Chenle and I today?” Jaemin asked. He looked up at Jeno with wide eyes, the taller boy’s face getting redder the further Jaemin spoke with him. “Hyuckie and Mark can’t sit with us today, and I don’t want to be alone… Would that be okay?”

Chenle stood against the teacher’s podium, waiting with bated breath as Jeno mulled over Jaemin’s question.

_There’s no way he’ll say yes…_ Chenle thought. _Jaemin is good. But he isn’t that good…_

“Of course!” Jeno said, nearly shouting the response as Jaemin extended his arm forward and placed a hand on his forearm.

“Great!” Jaemin said, turning back to Chenle with an ‘I told you so’ smirk on his lips. “We can eat in here, I actually packed extra food so you don’t need to go to the cafeteria…”

Jaemin watched as Jeno’s eyes widened as he stared at Jisung, who was smiling proudly.

“Or, if you don’t want to…” Jaemin trailed off, a pout coming onto his face. “You can go-”

“No, no,” Jeno said, marching over to where Chenle and Jaemin’s desks were. “Let me get this all set up, j-just a moment, please.”

Jaemin smirked as Jeno pushed the desks together so they could sit in a square.

He leaned into Chenle’s shoulder, whispering sweetly into his ear.

“See?” Jaemin whispered. “My magic works.”

He winked as he walked over to the desks, nearly pulling Jeno so he was sitting beside him.

Chenle cringed internally as he realized he was going to have to sit beside Jisung.

_He got lucky today…_

Chenle bowed politely to Jisung as he sat down.

“So,” Jisung said, taking a utensil set out of his bag. “Why aren’t Mark and Donghyuck sitting with you guys today?”

_Because Jaemin texted Hyuck this morning and said that he and Mark could go on a lunch date_ , Chenle thought.

“Oh, they said they wanted some free time to hang out,” Jaemin lied. “And lunch is never fun as just two, ya’know?” He opened the lunch box, taking all of the side dishes out and placing them around the tabletop.

“Right,” Jisung said, nodding as he looked over at Chenle and smiled.

Chenle couldn’t believe this. Jaemin’s plan was working.


	3. Chapter 3

Jeno could feel Jisung’s eyes on him. He knew he was going to be interrogated about the lunch situation at practice later.

“What?” Jeno grumbled as he slipped his socks over his shin guards. “I can feel you staring at me… I’ve felt your eyes since 5th period.”

“Oh, nothing,” Jisung said. “I’m just gonna say my magic works…” “Jisung,” Jeno said, standing up. “Unless you actually cast a spell on him, I don’t think it’s working.”

“Oh really? Then what was all that at lunch today?”

“It must be a coincidence,” Jeno said, sighing as the pair walked out of the locker room.

“Fine, I’ll show you my magic. Just you watch.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jeno said, nodding. “But what about you?” “What do you mean ‘what about me’?” Jisung asked.

“Like, why don’t you get a boyfriend?”

“I don’t know,” Jisung said, shaking his head. “I need to focus on school and soccer right now… I’m kinda tanking Chem and Calc right now, actually.”

“All I’m saying is… Chenle is pretty cute,” Jeno replied. “He’s actually really popular. A lot of guys on the team like him.”

“Really?” Jisung asked, tilting his head upward as he thought about Chenle. “I mean, he’s cute, yeah, but… like I said. I’m not really thinking about dating right now.” “Alright, alright,” Jeno said, kicking a ball towards Jisung.

School came and went the next day, and suddenly it was Friday night.

Chenle was hunched over a stack of practice questions for his AP Literature class, scribbling away at whatever meaningless piece of practice material he was working on.

He groaned when he heard his phone ding, breaking his concentration. He was met with zero surprise when Jaemin's name flashed upon his phone screen.

_**Jaemin (6:58 pm)** _

**__** _hey_

_come eat w me pls thanks_

_**Chenle (6:59 pm)**_

**** _I’m busy_

_**Jaemin (7:00 pm)** _

**__** _lemme guess_

_sTuDyInG ???_

_**Chenle (7:01 pm)**_

**** _Wow_

_Does your brain work now?_

_Crazy_

_**Jaemin (7:02 pm)** _

**__** _shut up stupid_

_anyways im leaving now be there in five_

_< 3_

Chenle rolled his eyes at Jaemin’s last message, but still stood and walked over to his closet, throwing on a pair of jeans and a green sweatshirt.

Once he heard the sound of Jaemin beeping outside, Chenle said farewell to the empty house and stepped outside.

“Where are we going?” Chenle asked once he was inside of Jaemin’s car.

“I said I was hungry so we’re going to Applebee’s,” Jaemin replied. “Have you eaten?”

“Not yet,” Chenle said, sighing. “We could always eat at my house, though. If you want?”

“No, no,” Jaemin said, shaking his head. “You barely see the dull neon lights of the outside world that is our Friendly Neighborhood Applebee’s. It’s a treat,” He smiled as he looked over to Chenle.

“Why do I feel like you have something up your sleeve…” Chenle said, staring at Jaemin warily as he drove.

“I don’t,” Jaemin said, shaking his head. “Why?” “I just… have a weird feeling…”

“You’re just paranoid,” Jaemin replied. “Is it so bad that I want to hang out with my best friend? I didn’t get to see you over spring break at all… Oh… how was... _it,_ by the way?”

“It was fine,” Chenle said, staring out the window. “My brother had new flowers planted when he visited so I didn’t have to do much except greet them. It was nice to do it alone, I think. You know how Sicheng is, anyway.”

“I want to go visit them soon,” Jaemin said, pulling into a parking spot in the Applebee’s parking lot. “I haven’t seen them in a while. Can we go sometime?” Chenle looked over at Jaemin, his eyes misty. “Of course,” He smiled. 

~

When the two boys had gotten into the restaurant, it was packed to the hilt with patrons.

“Oh, fuck,” Jaemin said, looking down at his watch. “It’s a Friday night. _And_ it’s time for half-priced apps. The wait is going to be forever and a day,”

“It’s actually 50 minutes,” Another voice came. It was one of the hosts. “Can I get your name?”

“Fifty… ugh,” Jaemin looked at Chenle, an unsure expression on his face. “Do you mind waiting?”

“Yeah, yeah I don’t care,” Chenle replied, shaking his head. “I just don’t want you to starve. Are you okay with waiting almost an hour-” Chenle turned around when he felt a hand land on his head, ruffling his hair.

He peered upwards, and was met with familiar eyes. 

It was Jisung.

“Hey,” He greeted. “Jeno and I just got seated. We haven’t even ordered yet, if you want to come eat with us?”

Chenle looked back at him, a confused expression on his face.

“Oh, sorry,” Jisung said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I overheard you guys talking. You’re more than welcome to join us, unless you’re waiting for someone…”

“Oh, no, no!” Jaemin said, a smile widening across his face. He turned to the host, nodding over to Jisung. “We’re going to join him, if that’s okay?” “That’s fine,” The host replied.

Before Chenle could protest or even respond, Jaemin was grabbing his hand and pulling him over to where Jisung was standing.

The three boys walked over to Jisung and Jeno’s booth, where Jeno was sitting, reading through the menu.

“Hey, Jen,” Jisung said, getting his attention. He looked up, his eyes widening once he was met with Jaemin and Chenle standing before him.

“This must be fate,” Jaemin said, sliding into the booth across from Jeno. “Lunch yesterday and dinner tonight. Maybe breakfast tomorrow?” he asked, half joking. “Sure,” Jeno replied quickly, staring back at Jaemin with invisible hearts in his eyes.

Jaemin looked up at him and laughed heartily.

“I was just kidding, silly,” He said in between laughs. “But, I mean…” He looked over to Chenle, who was sitting beside him, staring aimlessly at the top of the table.

Jaemin kicked him lightly underneath the table.

“We can talk about that later,” He said, smiling. “Anyway, what brings you guys to this fine establishment on your precious Friday evening?”

When Jisung realized that Jeno wasn’t going to respond, he spoke up.

“Our first game is next Friday,” He explained. “Jen and I always come and eat here after games, and it’s kind of become a tradition to come the week before the season starts.”

“That’s nice,” Jaemin replied.

“What about you guys?” Jisung asked.

Jaemin wasn’t going to give up as quickly as Jisung had, of course, so he looked over to Chenle for a moment before snaking his hand over to his arm under the table and pinching his skin. 

“Ow- Uh,” Chenle said, startling Jisung and Jeno. He glared at Jaemin momentarily before turning to Jisung, who was sitting across from him. “We were just hungry, is all,” He said simply. 

Before any more awkward tension could fill their booth, a waiter approached their table.

The waiter was a teenage boy with long, bleach-blonde hair. He smiled over at Chenle as if he knew him.

“Hey, pres,” He greeted. 

Chenle smiled up at him, an unsure expression on his face.

“Hey, Hyunjin,” Jisung said, smiling over to Chenle. “I didn’t know you worked here?”

“I just started last month,” Hyunjin said, not taking his eyes off of Chenle. “I’m assuming you don’t know me?” He asked, giggling.

“Sorry,” Chenle said, shaking his head. “It’s hard to remember everyone. But you’re Hyunjin… right?”

“Yup,” Hyunjin replied. “And you’re the prettiest boy in school, our esteemed student council president, Chenle Zhong. I’m a big fan.”

“A fan?” Chenle asked, shaking his head awkwardly. “I’m not a celebrity or anything like that!”

Jisung looked over to Chenle as he spoke, watching him with a confused expression as he thought back to what Jeno had told him the day before.

_“All I’m saying is… Chenle is pretty cute,” Jeno replied. “He’s actually really popular. A lot of guys on the team like him.”_

_I guess he really does have fans._ Jisung thought.. _I guess I never noticed before, but he seems pretty sweet… and cute…_

“So, what can I get for you guys?” Hyunjin asked, still letting his eyes waver on Chenle.

After taking their orders, Hyunjin walked off- Jisung didn’t miss the way he placed his hand on Chenle’s shoulder, squeezing it softly before leaving.

Jisung couldn’t help but feel the pang of jealousy that ran through him, but he chose to ignore it.


	4. Chapter 4

On Monday morning, Jisung arrived at school extra early. He stretched the sleep out of his back as he walked from his car to the school doors, smiling when he saw Chenle’s car parked in his usual spot.

Jisung walked up to the third floor, pausing outside of his homeroom’s door to see if anyone was inside yet. 

There Jaemin was, yawning as he read through a textbook, a pile of paper stacked high on the desk beside him.

Jisung took a deep breath before entering the classroom.

_Now I have to work my magic._

“Hey, Jaemin,” Jisung greeted loudly.

“Oh- hey, Jisung,” Jaemin replied. “What brings you here so early?” “Ah, I just woke up extra early so I decided to come straight here,” Jisung explained. “Where’s Chenle? I saw his car in the parking lot.”

Jaemin’s ears perked at that, and he looked up at Jisung with an almost mischievous look in his eye.

“He actually went to the teacher’s lounge to print something, but he’ll be right back,” Jaemin said, slowly gliding his elbow over to the stack of paper that sat beside him on the desk. He pushed it right next to the edge, just until it was about to fall off.

“Actually, I have to run and grab something from Mr. Park’s room. Think you can hold the fort down while I’m gone?”

“Sure,” Jisung said, watching as Jaemin stood up slowly from his desk. “Hey, wait- Jaemin?”

“Yeah?”

“Your mom is a nurse at Seoul General, right?” Jisung asked.

“Yeah, she is!” Jaemin replied. “Jeno’s mom is too. They’re friends.”

“Actually,” Jisung said, a smile coming onto his lips. “Jen has to drop something off at the hospital after school. Do you have time to go with him? He sucks at directions and I swear he always gets lost whenever he has to go there.”

“Yeah,” Jaemin said, smiling. “I’d be happy to.”

“Also,” Jisung said, watching as Jaemin turned to walk out of the room. “Can you ask him to go there with you? He’ll kill me if he knows I asked you to go with him.”

“Yeah, Jisung,” Jaemin replied. “I got you.”

He winked before stepping out of the room, disappearing down the hallway.

Jisung stood awkwardly at his desk as he unpacked his backpack, feeling accomplished. 

He heard a faint humming as someone entered the room, stopping once the door was opened.

“Ji-”

“Oh, good morning Chenle!” Jisung greeted, waving at the other boy.

“G-good morning,” Chenle replied, nodding to him simply. He walked over to Jaemin’s desk, where all of the papers were stacked up.

He reached over the desk, trying to grab the stack of papers, when he stepped on something, his foot slipping forwards as he hit the stack of papers with his hand, sending them flying all across the floor.

Chenle quickly regained his composure, straightening up and surveying the mess he had made.

“Oh fuck…” He mumbled, trying to gather the papers before Jisung said something.

_Oh fuck oh fuck._ Chenle thought, trying to not embarrass himself any further. _If Jisung comes over here I’ll-_

“Oh, shoot,” A voice came bellowing from behind Chenle. “Let me help you.”

“Oh, no, no that’s okay-”

“I got it,” Jisung said, crouching beside Chenle and smiling at him.

They locked eyes for a moment, the room feeling frozen. The papers were scattered all around them like snowflakes, the air thick with a cold tension.

For a flash of a second, Chenle wanted to jump forward and kiss Jisung, but soon enough, more students were filtering in through the door, breaking the silence.

Chenle and Jisung hurried around the room, gathering the papers without a second glance at one another. 

~

“So, how did this morning go?” Jaemin asked Chenle at lunch. 

They were sitting outside, watching Mark and Hyuck try to throw grapes in each other’s mouths.

“Did you plan that?” Chenle asked, his head whipping over to look at Jaemin.

Jaemin didn’t respond, he only let a dark smirk spread across his face as he held up the pink notebook. 

“Operation Chenji,” Jaemin said, waving the book back and forth in the air. He flipped it open to a bookmarked page, one that Chenle recognized. “ _Flying Papers? Flying Hearts? Love Is In The Air!_ ” Jaemin read straight from the book as he spoke, a smile on his face. “I’m assuming it worked, since you’re so flustered.”

“How the hell…”

“Magic,” Jaemin said, winking. “I told you, it’s all magic.”

“Oh, whatever,” Chenle grumbled.

“But, you know…” Jaemon started, trailing off as he thought. “I think Jeno likes me.”

Mark froze at that, peering over to Jaemin with an incredulous expression on his face.

“I guess so,” Jaemin said, nodding once he locked eyes with Mark.

“How did you know?” Mark asked, confused.

“Jisung has been making it painfully obvious,” Jaemin replied. “And, honestly, so has Jeno.”

“Do you like him back?” Chenle asked. 

“I think he’s cute,” Jaemin said, nodding. “I’m walking with him to the hospital today because Jisung asked me to. So, I guess I’ll see how I feel about him then.”

“He’s really sweet,” Mark said, standing as the lunch bell rang. “And he’s liked you for a long time, Jaem. Give him an honest chance, okay?”

“Got it,” Jaemin said, smiling.

~

The rest of the school day, Jaemin couldn’t get Jeno off of his mind.

_He is really cute…_ Jaemin thought. His mind was wandering off into Jeno-ville about halfway through his AP Literature lecture, and he was glad to let it. _Not even cute- he’s really handsome. And I’ve seen his body in the locker room after gym… and he’s smart, he plays soccer, he’s actually really nice, too. I guess… well… I’ll be happy to give him a chance. Let’s see if he can handle Jaemin Na, though. That will be the real test._

~

After school, Jaemin caught Jeno on his way out of the school gates.

“Hey, Jen,” Jaemin called.

Jeno stopped dead in his tracks as he looked over at Jaemin as he stepped towards him.

“I’m going to the hospital to pick something up from my mom, do you have time to come with me? I always get lost on my way over there.” Jaemin asked, his eyes big and gleaming as he looked up at Jeno.

“O-oh,” Jeno said, his voice shaking. “I’m actually going there too… so, yeah, sure, we can walk together.”

“Perfect!” Jaemin cheered, a bright smile spreading across his face.

The pair walked in silence, the only thing Jeno being able to hear being his heartbeat in his ears.

_God, why am I so nervous?_ Jeno thought as he placed his hand over his heart, trying to calm himself down.

“So what are you going to the hospital for?” Jaemin asked. He peered his head around Jeno’s shoulder so he could see his face.

“My mom needs me to drop off her checkbook,” Jeno explained simply. “What about you…?” And although Jaemin had spent the entire day thinking up an elaborate lie to tell Jeno- Jaemin decided to tell the truth.

“I overheard you tell Jisung that you needed to go to the hospital, and I figured it would be the perfect time to hang out with you alone.” Well, he told a half-truth.

He did want to spend time with Jeno alone, he realized.

Jeno stopped fully once he registered what Jaemin had said.

“Eh?” Jeno said, a confused chortle exiting his throat in reply to Jaemin’s confession.

“I want to spend time with you alone, Jeno,” Jaemin said batting his eyelashes. “Unless… you don’t want to-”

“No, no, I do…” Jeno replied. “But this feels sort of… uhm, sudden? You never showed any kind of… special… interest in me before. So, why now?”

“We’ve been spending some time together lately,” Jaemin explained. “And, if I’m being honest, it’s kind of obvious that you, uh, like me, or whatever. So, I thought about it. Is that okay with you? Or would you prefer to pine all on your own?” He asked his last question with a smirk, as he stepped ever closer to Jeno, trapping him against the wall of a building they had stopped beside.

“I don’t think-” Jeno started, his breath hitching in his throat as he looked down at the boy before him. a sudden surge of courage rushing through him. “I don’t want to pine alone, _nana_ ,” Jeno said, his voice rough. “So why don’t you join me?”


	5. Chapter 5

The following morning, Jaemin told Chenle all about his ‘walk’ with Jeno, in unfortunate, vivid detail.

“So you’re dating?” Chenle asked once Jaemin was done explaining.

“I don’t know,” Jaemin replied, thinking about it. “If he asks me on a date, then I’ll consider him to be my boyfriend. But for right now, we’re just ‘pining’ after each other or whatever. He is really good at kissing and-”

“I know, I know,” Chenle said, grimacing. “Well, congrats I guess.”

“Thanks,” Jaemin said, smiling.

He was about to say something more, when the door opened, and Jeno himself walked in.

“Jaemin,” he said sternly, nodding a short hello to Chenle. “Can I speak with you for, uhm, a minute…?”

Jaemin just smiled as he rose to his feet, marching over to Jeno and heading out the door.

Chenle sighed.

_I guess ‘Operation: Chenji’ turned into ‘Operation: …’_ Chenle thought. _Hmm. What would their ship name be? JaemJen…? No, no. Maybe… JenMin? Ugh, definitely not. … Nomin? ‘Operation: Nomin’ yeah, I like the sound of that. Well, I knew this whole thing wouldn’t work, anyway. I’ll just let Jaemin have fun with his boyfriend, and I’ll go back to pining over Jisung silently. Yeah. That’s fine._

~

Jisung and Jeno were driving home in Jisung’s car, when Jeno finally decided to tell him about what had happened with Jaemin.

“Ji,” Jeno started, looking over to the younger, who was sitting in the passenger seat.

“What’s up?” Jisung asked, turning and facing Jeno. 

“Yesterday… Jaemin, uh, he walked to the hospital with me after school yesterday,” Jeno explained.

“Really?” Jisung asked innocently, trying to act as if he didn’t know. “What happened?” “He, like, told me he liked me… kinda-”

“What?” Jisung shouted. “What do you mean? He likes you? Since when?” “Let me explain, please,” Jeno said, laughing. Jisung nodded.“He said something kinda weird, and then he got really close to me, and God… he’s so pretty. Anyway, he had this challenging look in his eye, and of course I had to challenge him back because what do I look like? And then, he uh… he was just really close to me, so, I kissed him… and today I asked him to be my boyfriend so I guess we’re together…” 

Jisung didn’t speak, he just stared over at Jeno with his mouth hanging open.

“Ji?” Jeno asked, his cheeks pink with blush. “Are you-”

“You got a boyfriend,” Jisung said simply, his back hitting his seat harshly. “Before me. What the hell.”

“You’re the one who wanted to get us to come together,” Jeno replied. “So, I guess… thanks, for that.”

“You’re welcome,” Jisung said snootily, turning his head away from Jeno sharply. “I guess my job here is done, then?” “Yeah, you’re good.”

“Cool.”

~

Once Wednesday morning came, exhaustion hit Chenle. He was tired, he knew that.

He was sitting in his 5th period English class, trying to make it through the lecture without falling asleep. He shared this class with Jisung, and as a last-ditch effort to wake himself up, he let his eyes wander over to where Jisung was sitting across the room.

There Jisung was, asleep.

Chenle giggled silently to himself.

_Must be nice…_

He watched as Jisung’s eyebrows furrowed, his nose twitching in response to whatever it was he was dreaming about.

_Is he having a nightmare?_ Chenle wondered. _He’s so sweet… he doesn’t deserve that. Go away, nightmare, go away._ He tried to will away the bad dream Jisung was having through sheer willpower, but based on Jisung’s uncomfortable facial expression, it wasn’t working.

Chenle’s eyes swept to the front of the classroom, where his English teacher was droning on about conjunctive adverbs. He was only brought to attention, when she started to call on people randomly to answer whatever question was displayed on the projector.

Chenle was panicking as her eyes peered over to his side of the room, then over to where Jisung was sitting.

Chenle wasn’t worried for himself, of course, he knew the answer.

But there was no way Jisung was going to know the answer _and_ wake up. No way.

“Ah,” His teacher, Mrs. Kang, spoke. “I need someone to answer this question, and I can see that we have someone with their head down. Jisung Park-”

“I’ll answer it!” Chenle said, standing up and knocking his textbook off of his desk with a loud _bang_. Loud enough to wake Jisung from his slumber, luckily.

Jisung lifted his head warily looking around the room until he locked eyes with Chenle.

“I- I can answer the question, Mrs. Kang,” Chenle said, smiling as his voice shook with embarrassment as his classmates giggled quietly.

“Well that’s great, Chenle,” Mrs. Kang said, turning towards him. “But I wanted Jisung to answer it, as I said.”

Jisung’s head shot up at the sound of his name, and he looked, panicked, at Chenle.

“Oh, shoot…” Chenle said, trailing off as he tried to buy Jisung time, his eyes scanning the board, searching for the question. “Uhm, I’ll answer the next one… then…”

“Thank you,” Mrs. Kang said, turning back to Jisung. “Jisung? Can you answer question three, please?” 

Chenle watched Jisung as he sat down at his desk, praying the other boy was able to figure out the answer in the time he was able to get for him.

“Uhm…” Jisung said, his eyes searching frantically across the words projected onto the whiteboard.

_It’s not that hard,_ Chenle thought. _The answer is ‘therefore’ come on, Jisung. Please._

Jisung looked over apologetically to Chenle, gritting his teeth as he looked back to Mrs. Kang.

“I… I don’t know.” He said simply.

Mrs. Kang sighed, turning away from him and facing Chenle, shaking her head at Jisung. “Chenle?” She asked. “You were so eager before, so, please answer the question.”

“The answer to question three would be ‘therefore’,” Chenle said, grimacing as Jisung nodded in realization. 

~

After school was over, Jisung came running over to Chenle, stopping him at his car. 

“Hey,” Jisung said. “I-I wanted to say thank you for what you did in class today.”

“Oh, it’s no big deal,” Chenle said, shaking his head. “No need to worry about it. I know I would be pretty scared to get caught sleeping by Mrs. Kang, so I just wanted to save you that trouble.”

“Still,” Jisung said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I feel bad… since you had to go through all that trouble, and I still got the question wrong.”

“It’s okay! Really,” Chenle reassured him. “Class was super boring today, anyway. I almost fell asleep myself, if I’m being honest.” “Really?” Jisung asked, a laugh echoing from his throat. He laughed for a bit, just standing there laughing as Chenle stared at him in confusion. 

“Is something… funny?” Chenle asked once Jisung had calmed down.

“I just, uhm,” Jisung began, his face red. “I never imagined you falling asleep in class. I guess the thought of that was just really funny. The esteemed class president, Chenle Zhong, falling asleep in class. It’s, uhm, cute to think about.”

“C-cute?” Chenle asked, his face growing pink at Jisung’s word choice. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, uh…” Jisung said, trailing off. “Cute like-”

“Sung!” A voice called, cutting Jisung off. He turned around suddenly, meeting eyes with Hyunjin, who was standing next to the school doors. Campus was empty now, most of the students halfway home now. “Coach will kill you if you don’t get into the locker room now!” Hyunjin called, turning and walking back into the building.

Chenle looked back at Jisung, his face flush with anticipation. 

“Shit, I, uh, I have to go-” Jisung said, starting to walk backwards towards the school. “Sorry, Chenle!”

And then Jisung was gone, and Chenle was standing alone in the parking lot, Jisung’s words echoing aimlessly inside of his head.

_“It’s, uhm, cute to think about.” What the hell did he mean by that…_ Chenle wondered.

~

Jisung’s back hit his bed with a loud _thump_ , and he sighed into his pillow, his damp hair clinging to his neck annoyingly.

“What was today…” Jisung wondered out loud, questioning his empty room. “Chenle was so… he really _was_ cute. His flustered face when he was speaking with Mrs. Kang. And the fact that he did that just for me… I feel special.” 

He rolled over onto his stomach, pressing his cheek into his pillow. He could feel the heat under his skin.

_Do I like him…?_ Jisung wondered. _It’s possible… I mean, he’s really cute, he’s smart, he’s sweet…_

That night, Jisung thought about Chenle all night, until he fell asleep.

~

Chenle, on the other hand, sat up all night, tossing and turning as Jisung’s words from earlier that day failed to leave his mind.

Grumbling, he turned over in his bed, grabbing his phone and texting Jaemin.

_**Chenle (2:58 am)** _

**__** _Hey Jaem_

_Are you awake_

_Actually, I know you are._

_Hey!_

_**Jaemin (3:02 am)**_

**** _hey_

_what’s up?_

_why are you even up lol_

_**Chenle (3:03 am)** _

**__** _Jisung called me cute today_

_**Jaemin (3:03 am)**_

**** _uhm_

_WHAT ?????_

_HOW ?? WHAT ???????_

_ASHJKASDVBHJSKDJHF_

_**Chenle (3:04 am)** _

**__** _I KNOW_

_Okay so basically I helped him in class today_

_Because he fell asleep_

_And Mrs. Kang was going to k word him_

_Anyway_

_He came to my car after school and thanked me_

_And then I was like_

_Oh I would have fallen asleep too, it’s cool_

_And he started laughing_

_Like really hard_

_And then said it would be cute if I fell asleep ??? I THINK THAT'S WHAT HE MEANT ANYWAY??_

_THEN HE HAD TO GO GET READY FOR PRACTICE_

_**Jaemin (3:10 am)**_

**** _wow_

_the kid is whipped_

_yes lele_

_GET UR MAN !!!_

_i’m happy for you! this is so good_

_you know what this means?_

_**Chenle (3:12 am)** _

**__** _Oh God what_

_**Jaemin (3:13 am)**_

**** _we can go on double dates <3 _

_with our hot soccer player bfs_

_**Chenle (3:14 am)** _

**__** _Yeah goodnight_

_**Jaemin (3:15 am)**_

**** _ur stupid_

_gn lele_

_talk tomo xx <3_


	6. Chapter 6

On Friday morning, Chenle rolled into school extra early. It was his day to organize the morning announcements, so he had to prepare everything before the broadcasting club came into school.

He sniffled as he stepped over the wet dew that was lying on the tops of the grass.

Before he could enter the building, he heard the faint blow of a whistle in the distance. It was only then that he realized the soccer team was on the field, running drills.

_They’re working so hard…_ He thought as he watched them from the doorway. 

He slung his backpack over his shoulder, pulling out a large book that said ‘Planner 2020-2021’ on the cover. After readjusting his backpack, Chenle flipped the planner open, reading it as he walked up to the broadcasting room.

_Friday, April 17th: Boys Soccer Kick-Off Game - 7 pm - Home_

The words were written neatly beside the date.

_I’ll be sure to do my part, then!_ Chenle thought as he bounded up the stairs.

He organized the morning announcements on the top of the desk in the broadcasting room, being sure to write at the top in large print ‘BOYS SOCCER HOME OPENER TONIGHT: EMPHASIS’

He nodded at his work, smiling to himself as he left the room and finally made his way to his homeroom. There were a few students who had arrived early, and all of them bowed to Chenle, greeting him with warm ‘good morning’s and ‘have a great day’s. 

~

“I have an idea,” Jaemin said. He and Chenle were walking out of the school, making their way to Chenle’s car.

“I don’t want to know what it is,” Chenle grumbled. “Don’t tell me. Please.” “Nope,” Jaemin replied, smiling. “You already agreed to the plan days ago. This idea is a part of it, so you’re going to listen. Alright?” “Whatever.” Chenle said, sighing as he backed out of his parking spot.

There were students everywhere, so trying to maneuver out of the parking lot was harder than it should be, and Chenle was trying his best to not hit any freshman who decided to run out in front of his car.

“Okay, well-” Jaemin started, suddenly halting once he saw someone step out in front of Chenle’s car. It was Jisung.

Jisung waved to Chenle, then turned so he could stop anyone from crossing the road. 

He waved Chenle’s car on, letting him get out of the parking lot without any more trouble. 

“What…”

“The fuck?” Jaemin finished Chenle’s sentence, a smile erupting onto his face as he turned around in his seat, watching as Jisung and the rest of the soccer team crossed the road and headed onto the field.

Once Chenle was on a residential street, he released the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

“How sweet! First, he calls you cute,” Jaemin cheered, pulling out the pink notebook and writing everything down as he spoke. “And then, he stops traffic for you? You’ve got him wrapped around your finger, lele. And oh my God did you see the new uniform on him?” “New uniform?” Chenle cried, turning to Jaemin with a deep furrow in his brow.

“You didn’t see it?” Jaemin asked. “He was wearing it! Chenle!”

“Don’t say anything else, I’m sulking,” Chenle said, pouting as he stopped at a crosswalk. 

“But… that actually brings me to what I was going to say before,” Jaemin said, a mischievous look coming over his face. “My plan…” He looked to Chenle, who just rolled his eyes as he willed Jaemin on. “Their season-opener is tonight. Hyuck is obviously going for Mark, and I’m going for Jen, so that obviously means you have an excuse to be there, so… why don’t you come?”

“Jaemin…” Chenle mumbled angrily.

“It won’t be weird! I swear!” Jaemin reassured. “You’re just going to sit with Hyuck and I. Besides, you’re the student council president. It isn’t weird for you to show up to things like this, right?”

“No,” Chenle replied, shaking his head warily.

“Perfect,” Jaemin said, a smile spreading across his cheeks. “Then you’re coming!”

~

“What a gentleman!” Jeno shouted, watching as Jisung waved Chenle’s car on.

“What?” Jisung asked, shrugging his shoulders as they made their way across the street and to the soccer field. “I’m just being polite to my _friend_ Chenle. And your boyfriend, Jaemin.” He wiggled his eyebrows at the older boy, making him fake gag in reply.

“Oh, please,” Jeno scoffed. “Don’t drag me into your weird friendship. You know… why _don’t_ you try Chenle?”

“ _Try_ him?” Jisung asked. “What, like I’m trying out a new ball or a pair of glasses? What could you possibly mean by that?”

“Well, you’re put in all that effort for Jaemin and I to get together,” Jeno explained. “So, why don’t you go for Chenle? Your skills seem pretty good, anyway.

“I don’t know,” Jisung replied, thinking about the other day when he was with Chenle at his car. “He’s really cute, and sweet… he’s also really ambitious and has a lot going for him, but maybe I should focus on soccer for now?” “There’s something else you should be focusing on,” Came the voice of an older man from behind the two boys.

“What do you mean, Coach?” Jisung asked, looking up at Coach Nakamoto with furrowed brows. 

“Nevermind relationships or soccer. Jisung, you’re failing both Chemistry and Calculus,” Coach Nakamoto said, shaking his head. “I had to argue with Dr. Moon over even letting you play tonight. You have two weeks to pull your grades up, or else you’re out for the season.”

Jisung stopped in his tracks, his jaw nearly hitting the floor.

“Coach,” Jisung said, incredulous. “I should be getting scouted this season. I need to play.” He nodded his head, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“Even if you got scouted you wouldn’t be accepted because of your grades,” Coach Nakamoto said simply. He shrugged as he looked out to the field, where the other players were. “You better play like it’s your last game tonight. It just very well might be.”

Jisung looked to Jeno as Yuta walked off, leaving them behind.

He had tears in his eyes, but he was more angry than anything.

“It’ll be fine,” Jeno said, patting Jisung’s shoulder and pulling him towards the field. “You’ll get a tutor. It’ll be fine. It won’t be that bad, okay? We’ll figure this out.”

While Jisung was getting himself ready for the game, his mind was flooded with thoughts of the possibility of his Junior years soccer career going down the drain. 

He felt sick.

~

Jaemin and Chenle pulled into the parking lot of the soccer stadium, Jaemin making sure to park right beside Jeno’s car -in hopes of intercepting him and Jisung later.

They made their way to the top of the stands, where Donghyuck was sitting with a few other students- Xiaojun, Lucas, Renjun, and Hendery.

“Did it start yet?” Jaemin asked as he and Chenle settled into their seats. 

“It’s about to,” Hyuck replied. He pointed to the center of the field. “There’s Jisung and the other team’s ace. They’re about to do the kickoff.”

Chenle’s eyes focused on Jisung’s jet-black hair, it glistened against his pale skin and the darkness of the new uniforms. He smiled.

_He’s so cute._

Jaemin watched Jeno step into his position -center defense- and smiled brightly as the game began.

Within the first fifteen minutes of the game, Chenle knew something was off with Jisung.

He kept fumbling the ball, colliding with the other team’s players, tripping over his own feet.

It wasn’t until Coach Nakamoto benched Jisung, that Chenle was sure something was going on.

“I hope he’s okay,” Chenle said to Jaemin as they watched Jisung step off of the field.

“We’ll have to stop by and see what’s up after the game,” Jaemin said, concerned. “He’ll probably be delighted to see that you came to the game.” “Oh, shut up,” Chenle said, hitting Jaemin’s shoulder as the game continued on.

Once the game was over, Jaemin and Chenle walked with Hyuck and his friends to the parking lot, where Mark would be meeting Hyuck.

Their school had won, which didn’t come as much of a surprise to Chenle. Not that he cared about the game. He was just happy to watch Jisung run around while drenched in sweat. He was still concerned over the boy, though. He had hoped he was just having a rough night, and that there was nothing seriously wrong with him.

Chenle was even happier to see Jeno and Jisung walking out of the locker room at the same time his group had hit the pavement, the pair talking quietly about something as they made their way over to Jeno’s car.

Hyuck and his friends waved goodbye as they caught up with Mark, leaving Chenle and Jaemin to say hello to Jeno and Jisung on their own.

No big deal, right?

Jaemin waved to Jeno silently, sending him a wink as he pushed Chenle forward and towards Jisung when they reached the car. 

“Uh, h-hi, Jisung,” Chenle started, heat raising up his neck and drenching his cheeks in pink. “Y-you did gre-”

“I’m kinda busy, so, can we talk later?” Jisung spoke, an annoyed expression on his face as he stared down at his phone, where a video was playing.

“Oh. Yeah, sure.” Chenle replied, feeling dejected as he stepped away from Jeno’s car. Jisung got inside of the vehicle without another word, pushing his headphones into his ears and watching whatever was on his phone.

Jeno tried to wave at Jaemin, who was just staring open-mouthed at Jisung.

Chenle nodded, turning towards the car and getting inside, slamming the door shut speeding off with Jaemin before another beat could pass.

“What was that…?” Jeno asked as he backed his car out. “Ji?”

“What?” Jisung snapped. “I’m trying to learn logarithmic differentiation, and I won’t be able to do that if you keep trying to talk to me, Jen.”

“What are you talking about?” Jeno questioned. “I asked you one thing, Ji. I know you’re trying to teach yourself, but I highly doubt that’s going to work right now. God.”

“What?” Jisung asked. “You just talked to me. Like… two minutes ago.”

“Huh? That was Chenle, you idiot.” Jeno explained.

“Chenle?” Jisung said, his mind wandering back to the interaction that just took place outside of Jeno’s car. “... oh my God. I-I was so distracted by the video that I thought Chenle was you. Jen… I- fuck.”

“Well what did you say to him?” Jeno asked.

“I was just snippy… ugh fuck, Jen.” Jisung said as his head hit the back of the seat. He huffed out a sigh, turning his phone off and throwing it into his bag.

“It’ll be fine,” Jeno said, trying to reassure Jisung. “It’s Chenle. I’m sure he’ll understand. Just apologize on Monday.”

“Yeah… I’ll have to.” Jisung murmured.

~

“Chenle…” Jaemin tried, turning toward the other boy once they were at a red light. “It must have been an accident. Jisung wouldn’t-” “He did.” Chenle said simply, turning towards the window. “He hates me. I’ve been bothering him so much the last few days, I just know it. He hates me, and wants me to-” “Lele!” Jaemin shouted. “Stop. Talk to him about it on Monday. It had to have been a mistake.”

“Jaem,” Chenle said, turning towards the other boy. “The _last_ thing I’m doing is talking to him. Consider your plan cancelled.”

“But-”

“Cancelled.”


	7. Chapter 7

After spending almost his entire weekend in misery, dreading having to see Jisung in homeroom on Monday, Chenle finally trudged into the classroom.

He immediately went to his desk, pressing his face against the cool surface, wishing upon everything that Jisung would skip school today.

Instead, he heard a vaguely familiar voice calling for him from the doorway. His head shot up, and he was faced with Mr. Nakamoto. 

“Chenle~” He called, sweetness dripping from his voice. “Can you come with me for a bit, please? I have to speak with you in my office for a moment.” Chenle nodded warily as he rose from his seat, following the older man down the stairs and into the teacher’s office.

Mr. Nakamoto sat at his desk, and after typing something into the computer, pulled up the class roster. A mix of dread and curiosity washed over Chenle as he clicked on Jisung’s name, pulling up his gradebook.

“Do you see this?” Mr. Nakamoto asked.

“Y-yes…” Chenle replied, looking over Jisung’s grades. His eyes narrowed weakly at the line-up.

_**Park Jisung Class: 3A DOB: 2/5/2002** _

**__** _English - 78%_

_Calculus - 59%_

_Physical Education - 100%_

_Chemistry - 46%_

_Anatomy - 86%_

_History III - 98%_

Not so stellar, but fixable.

“See,” Mr. Nakamoto said, sighing as he turned towards Chenle. “Jisung won’t be able to play the rest of the season unless he pulls his Calculus and Chemistry grades up to at least C’s.”

“Right,” Chenle said, nodding.

“That’s where you come into play,” Mr. Nakamoto said, a smile beaming across his features. Chenle grimaced. “If you’re willing to tutor him two days a week, for Calculus and Chemistry, then I will be more than happy to grant any wish you have.” He gave the boy a wistful look, as if he was an old fortune teller. It was very clear, at least to Chenle, that he wouldn’t be able to grant him any wish he had. But, Chenle had free time and a good reputation he wanted to keep up.

There was one problem here.

Jisung.

Chenle thought back momentarily to the words the other boy had said to him on Friday. His tone, additude, expression. All of it made Chenle cringe.

“I don’t-”

“Please, I’m… begging you,” Mr. Nakamoto said, tears almost being drawn to his cheeks.

_How dramatic._ Chenle thought. 

“Uhm. Fine, I guess I don’t really have much of a choice… do I?” “Not exactly, but I’m glad you’re willfully agreeing,” Mr. Nakamoto said, laughing heartily as he exited out of the webpage. “I’ll see you in third period, then. Have a great day!”

“Wait,” Chenle said, his head quirking in confusion. “What time? What days? Does Jisung even know?” “You’ll have to speak with him about both the dates and the tutoring, but I’m sure it’s fine. He knows that he needs to be tutored. Heck, he’ll probably be happy knowing it’s you. You know how those soccer boys are when it comes to you.” He winked, which made a chill run up Chenle’s spine as he nodded, turning to the door and running back to his homeroom before he could receive any more unwarranted requests.

~

Chenle sighed as he stepped into his homeroom.

_It’s not that big of a deal. You’ll tutor him for a few days, he’ll bring his grades up, he’ll go back to acting like you never existed in the first place. It’s just Jisung. He’s just another person. Who cares if he snapped at you? Who cares if he hates you? Who cares if he’s your crush? It’s not that big of a deal. Not that big of a deal. Not that big of a deal. Not that big of a-_

“Hey-”

“Oh my God!” Chenle exclaimed, nearly screaming as his head whipped up, locking eyes with whoever was speaking to him.

It was Jisung.

_Of course._

“Oh, shoot. Sorry if I scared you,” Jisung said, his cheeks growing red as he rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. 

“T-that’s okay…” Chenle said, swallowing a sigh as he sat down at his desk.

_Why the fuck is he here so early?_

“Hey, uhm, Chenle,” Jisung said, tapping his shoulder.

“Oh, what’s up?” Chenle said, forcing an uncomfortable smile onto his face. He prayed he looked more peaceful than pained, but only Jisung held the answer to that.

“I wanted to-”

_Tutoring._

“I need to tutor you!” Chenle blurted as the thought left his lips faster than it entered his mind.

“Huh?” Jisung said, confusion washing over his face. 

“Uhm, Mr- er, Coach Nakamoto asked me to tutor you,” Chenle explained, rising from his seat so he could look Jisung in the eye. _He sure is tall._ “He said you need to get your grades up so you can continue playing this season, so, uh, I’m going to tutor you. Is that alright?” 

Surprised at Chenle’s sudden seriousness, Jisung paused.

“Yeah,” Jisung replied, nodding. “That’s okay. Thank you.” “Sure,” Chenle said. He smiled weakly, turning back to his desk.

“Wait, uhm,” Jisung said, nervousness washing over him. _Why am I so nervous?_ He wondered. “I wanted to apologize for the other night. I was in a really bad mood because Coach said that I wouldn’t be able to play if I didn’t get my grades up. I wasn’t paying attention, and I thought you were Jeno. It was absolutely my mistake for being so stupid. I’m sorry for snapping at you the way I did.” 

“Oh,” Chenle said, breathing a sigh of relief before he spoke again. “That’s alright! I totally get it! School can be hard. Plus, you’re so focused on soccer, it makes sense for your grades to suffer a bit. We’ll pull them up just in time for you to play again, I promise!” “Really?” Jisung asked, his eyes glistening brightly with hope.

“Really,” Chenle replied. He nodded his head slowly, a smile coming onto his face.

_He’s so, so, so freaking cute._ Chenle thought. He tried to press the blush that was coming onto his face down, but failed.

“Oh! Uhm, can I have your number?” Jisung asked. There were a few beats of silence after the question, and Chenle relished in them happily. _Wouldn’t it be so great if he asked for my number on his own accord?_ Chenle wondered to himself. “Uh… so we can set up when you’ll tutor me and everything. You know,” Jisung continued, breaking Chenle out of his bubble.

“Oh, yeah, of course.” Chenle replied, pulling out his phone.

~

_**Unknown Number (9:30 pm)** _

**__** _hey_

_is this chenle?_

_**Chenle (9:35 pm)**_

**** _Hi_

_Yes, this is Chenle_

_May I ask who this is?_

_**Unknown Number (9:36 pm)** _

**__** _oh shoot sorry lol_

_this is jisung park **Chenle (9:36 pm)**_

**** _Oh_

_Oh my gosh hi Jisung_

_**Jisung !!! (9:37 pm)** _

**__** _ha ha ha_

_hi chenle_

_oh_

_by the way_

_are you free to tutor me tomorrow after school?_

_**Chenle (9:38 pm)**_

**** _Yes I am! That would be perfect_

_**Jisung !!! (9:39 pm)** _

**__** _cool_

_see you then?_

_**Chenle (9:40 pm)**_

**** _See you then :)_

_**Jisung !!! (9:41 pm)** _

**__** _:)_


	8. Chapter 8

Chenle hummed happily to himself at lunch the next day, knowing that Jaemin would be elated to hear about both Jisung’s apology and his tutoring deal. 

“What did you make today?” Chenle asked, peering over the desk and the lunch box Jaemin had made.

“Nothing special,” Jaemin answered. He was busy unpacking the lunch box, when Chenle placed an impatient hand on his arm. “...what’s up? Are you _that_ hungry?” Jaemin asked, laughing as he handed Chenle his utensils.

“I have something to tell you,” Chenle boasted, holding his head high.

“Oh, really? What is it?” Jaemin questioned, quirking an eyebrow at Chenle’s sudden confidence.

“Jisung apologized to me,” Chenle said, a smirk appearing on his lips.

“What?” Jaemin exclaimed, a smile spreading across his face. “That’s so great! Lele this is so great!”

“I know, I know,” Chenle said, faux sass behind his voice. “He’s also failing Calculus and Chemistry. And guess who gets to be his tutor?” He flashed Jaemin a bright smile.

“No. Way.” Jaemin said. He was nearly beaming at this point, his legs shaking in excitement. “See? What did I say? This would all work out. Wow. Good for you, lele.”

“Thanks Jaem,” Chenle replied, patting Jaemin’s arm. “I’m sorry we had to scrap your plan, it was really great, and I thought it was working, but… you know.”

“No, no,” Jaemin said, shaking his head. “I don’t care about the plan. I’m just happy you guys are coming together like this. Now you just need to make him your man.” He winked, smirking at the younger boy.

“Okay, chill,” Chenle said, shaking his head. “One step at a time.”

“I’m glad he apologized, though,” Jaemin said. “I ignored Jeno for the entire weekend because I was so angry.”

“What? Jaem, you didn’t need to do that!” Chenle said, laughing.

“I did!” Jaemin protested. “For all I knew, he was a part of the whole thing! What did I know?”

“Right, right,” Chenle said, nodding.

~

After school was over, Chenle waited for Jisung at the back of their homeroom.

Jisung smiled at him as he threw his backpack over his shoulder.

“Library?” Jisung asked.

“Yup,” Chenle replied, leading the taller boy out of the classroom and up the stairs to the library. “Did you have a good day today?” Chenle asked, trying to make casual conversation.

“I guess,” Jisung answered. “How about you?”

“My day was okay,” Chenle said, nodding. “Oh, do you have your textbooks?” 

Jisung shook his head ashamedly as they stepped into the empty library. “I left them at home. Shit. I’m sorry.”

“No, that’s okay,” Chenle said, laughing. They placed their bags at one of the tables at the back of the room, far behind the stacks of books. “They have extra copies here. No big deal.”

Jisung nodded as he followed Chenle to where the textbooks were.

“So, it’s the Calculus I and the Chemistry II textbooks, right?” Chenle asked, his eyes skimming the shelves in search of the titles.

“Yup,” Jisung said. “One’s blue and the other is green, if that helps.”

“Yeah- oh! Here they are!” Chenle said, reaching out and taking two textbooks off of the shelf. “Ok-”

Before Chenle could finish what he was saying, Jisung was casually taking the textbooks out of his hands, smiling down at him.

“T-that’s everything…” Chenle said, a blush creeping up his neck.

“Alright,” Jisung replied, turning around and walking down the aisle towards their table.

 _He’s so sweet…_ Chenle thought. He slowly walked to the table, pressing his cold hands against his hot cheeks. _So sweet._

When they sat down at the table, Chenle spread out the textbooks, preparing to teach Jisung a lesson in each subject before their tutoring session was over.

~

“I think I actually understand it,” Jisung told Chenle as they walked out of the library and towards the stairwell. “You explain it so much better than Mr. Suh, honestly.”

“Oh, no,” Chenle said, shaking his head. “It’s probably because you and I are at the same level, is all. It’s easier for me to explain it since I just say what helped me to understand it. If that makes any sense…”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jisung said, laughing. “I get it, don’t worry.”

Once they reached the parking lot, Jisung didn’t say anything as he quietly walked Chenle to his car.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, then?” He said, once Chenle had the car unlocked.

“Y-yeah!” Chenle cheered. “Tomorrow.”

Chenle’s heart was beating incredibly fast once he sat inside of his car.

 _He just… he walked me to my car?_ Chenle thought to himself. _Fuck. He’s so cute. God I want him to be my boyfriend so fucking bad._

~

The next few days went on easily, Chenle would tutor Jisung after school, and then Jisung would practice with the soccer team.

He wasn’t allowed to play any games, but being able to practice seemed to be enough for him.

When Wednesday of the following week came, Jisung heaved a deep sigh. He and Chenle were sitting in the library, and he was working quietly on some homework.

“What’s with the sigh?” Chenle asked, looking over to Jisung from over his textbook.

“I’m just nervous for my test tomorrow,” Jisung explained. “I have one for Chem and Mr. Suh is… scary… to say the least. What if… what if I fail? There are only four tests a semester and this is the third one. If I fail this one then I’ll-” “You won’t fail,” Chenle said, interrupting Jisung. 

“How can you be so sure?” Jisung asked, quirking his head at Chenle's sudden confidence.

“Because you have the best teacher, obviously,” Chenle joked. He pointed his nose high in the sky as he tried to make Jisung laugh.

When he didn’t hear anything in response, Chenle looked back over to the other boy.

“Sorry,” Chenle said, his face going red. “That was a horrible joke-” “Chenle!” Jisung exclaimed, his mouth dropping open. “You’re funny? Who knew?” He started to laugh loudly, filling the empty library with his laughter.

“Ji-” Chenle tried, his ears burning. “It wasn’t that funny! It wasn’t funny at all, actually.”

“No, no,” Jisung said, wiping his tears away. “It was funny! I promise.”

Chenle sighed as he looked down at his watch. “It’s time to go, anyway.”

“Really?” Jisung asked, tapping his phone to look at the clock. “Aw, man. I was having fun with you.”

Chenle’s face went an even brighter shade of red at that, and he tried to calm himself down as they walked out of the library and to the parking lot.

~

It was now Thursday morning, and Jaemin was bored. He was sitting in his AP Calculus class, and wanted nothing more than to fall asleep.

He looked to Chenle, who was sitting in front of him.

 _Maybe I can bother Chenle…?_ Jaemin wondered. _No, no… he’ll have my head if I bother him during his favorite class. Hmm… Oh. Ha._

Jaemin slowly reached below his desk, where his stack of books was laying. His fingers ran across a familiar surface, and he pulled the notebook up to his desk when his teacher wasn’t looking.

 _Let’s see…_ Jaemin thought, opening up the notebook to it’s bookmarked page. _I guess I’ll update our list of events…_

He looked over the page, taking a random blue pen from off of his desk and filling in some new happenings on his ‘LIST OF EVENTS IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER’.

He giggled to himself as he read over some of the random notes that were left here and there throughout the page, them mostly being Chenle insulting him and telling him the plan was bs, but Jaemin laughed anyway.

“Mr. Na,” He heard a voice call for him from the front of the classroom. “Come answer question six, please. I’m sure you’ve been _paying attention_ , right?”

“Of course I have, sir,” Jaemin said, smiling up at his teacher as he slipped the notebook into Chenle’s backpack, which was hanging open on the back of his chair. 

_I’ll have to grab that later._

~

After school, Chenle was standing at his locker, packing his bag up, when he heard his phone ding.

 _Who could that be…?_ Chenle wondered as he pulled his phone from out of his back pocket.

_**Jisung (2:38 pm)** _

**__** _hey_

_are you busy after school?_

_i know we don’t have tutoring… but uh_

_**Chenle (2:38 pm)**_

**** _Hey_

_I’m not busy!_

_What’s up?_

_**Jisung (2:39 pm)** _

**__** _mr. suh said that i could wait for my test_

_you know_

_while he grades it haha_

_would you mind waiting with me…?_

_**Chenle (2:40 pm)**_

**** _Of course, Jisung._

_Where are you waiting? I’ll be right over_

_**Jisung (2:41 pm)** _

**__** _i’m outside of the teachers lounge_

_i’m like sitting on the ground haha_

_**Chenle (2:42 pm)**_

**** _I’ll be right over_

~

Chenle could practically taste his heart, that’s how fast it was beating. He closed up his locker and walked through the now-empty hallways of SMHS, afraid but happy that Jisung asked him to wait with him.

 _That means he trusts me._ Chenle thought, his ears burning ever brighter as he approached the hallway where the teacher’s lounge was. 

There Jisung was, sitting on the ground against some lockers, staring hard at the door to the teacher’s lounge.

Chenle had to suppress a laugh as he walked over to the other boy.

“Hey, Jisung,” Chenle said, sitting down beside him.

“Hey,” Jisung replied. “I probably failed so you can just head home, actually-”

“Jisung!” Chenle interrupted. “You need to have confidence! You did fine. I’m sure of it.”

“You’re only sure of it because you’re so smart,” Jisung replied, resting his cheek on his knee. “Have you ever failed anything? I’m sure you haven’t, Mr. President.”

Chenle scoffed at Jisung’s newfound attitude, but brushed it off, nonetheless.

“I have,” He replied. “I’ve failed a lot of things, actually.”

“Really?” Jisung asked, his eyes traveling over to Chenle’s face. The older boy was picking at the skin around his fingernails as he spoke. 

“Yeah,” Chenle answered. “The most recent one would have to be… last semester? I was going through some stuff with uhm, my brother… and I was super distracted in school for like two weeks. Well, it turns out that when you don’t study for Mr. Lee’s Anatomy tests, you fail them.”

“Wow,” Jisung said, watching as Chenle picked at a weak part of skin, pressing into it until it burst open, small droplets of blood trickling out. “Chenle,” Jisung said. He reached out and grabbed Chenle’s hand, pulling his fingers away from each other. “If you do that you’ll get hurt.” He reached into his backpack and pulled out a bandaid. Chenle watched curiously as Jisung wrapped the bandage around his finger, sealing the blood away.

“T-thanks,” Chenle said, looking down at his finger. There was now a small yellow bandaid on it, with miniature ducks printed on it cutely. He smiled. “Sorry, that’s a bad habit of mine.” “It’s okay,” Jisung said, smiling as he held onto Chenle’s hand. 

“So, uhm,” Chenle continued, looking over to Jisung as he stared into his eyes. “It’s okay to fail. We all fail. All I’m saying is that I’m confident in… you. I’m sure you passed.”

“Really?” Jisung asked. He was leaning closer to Chenle now, staring down at the smaller boy’s lips as he spoke.

“Y-yeah,” Chenle mumbled.

“You’re confident in me?” Jisung asked, leaning ever closer to Chenle, his nose nearly the other boy’s. 

“Yeah,” Chenle whispered. 

Just as Chenle was about to close the space between them- _WHAM._

The door to the teacher’s lounge flew open, and there stood Coach Nakamoto. He coughed awkwardly as he looked over to Chenle and Jisung.

“Jisung!” He said, a little too loudly. “Your test is finished with grading. Please come retrieve it.”

Jisung looked to Chenle for another moment, before nodding and standing up, walking over to where Coach Nakamoto stood in the doorway of the teacher’s lounge.

After Jisung went inside, Coach Nakamoto nodded to Chenle before stepping inside after Jisung, closing the door behind him.

Chenle caught his breath, trying to calm himself down as he stood back up.

 _What the fuck just happened?_ Chenle wondered to himself. He shook the curiosity off of himself as he took his phone out of his pocket, sending Jaemin an almost indecipherable string of text messages.

_**Chenle (3:08 pm)** _

**__** _JAMEINEDKJH_

_HOJMDF FJDHF_

_OH MY_

_FUCNSDJ_

_JAEMINB C\\\FUCK_

_FUCKDHUSS HDHDJJD_

_FUCKING OH NMYV SEGFGFJ_

_JAEMIN_

_**Jaemin (3:09 pm)**_

**** _CHENLE ????? ARE YOU OKAY_

_OH MY GOD CHENLE ???_

_ARE YOU GOOD_

_CHENLE HELLO??????????????_

_**Chenle (3:10 pm)** _

**__** _WE ALMOSYT KISSJE JWEKWEFN_

_JISUNG ALMOST KISSED ME_

_WHAT THE FUCK AHAHAHAHH UUFGDF_

_FUCKINGJNCWEJ OH MY GOD_

_**Jaemin (3:11 pm)**_

_BITHCUEBC_

_HUHHHHHHHH WHATTTTT_

_EXPLAINE NOWWWW_

_WHAT THE FUCK BITCH OMGGGG_

_EXPLAIN NOW ??????_

_**Chenle (3:12 pm)** _

**__** _NOT NOW LATER OMG_

_HE'S COMING ASGHDJKSJAHS_

_BYE BYE BYE_

~

Chenle threw his phone back into his pocket as soon as he saw Jisung approach the door. The taller boy turned back for a moment and bowed to the teachers in the lounge before he stepped out, closing the door behind him.

He didn’t take a single step towards Chenle, he just stood there and stared at him from the doorway. Chenle was confused, but took a deep breath anyway, prepared for the worst.

“Ji-” “I got an A!” Jisung yelled as he ran towards Chenle.

“That’s great-” Chenle tried, but before he knew it, Jisung was wrapping him in his arms and lifting him into the air.

Jisung spun around the hallway with Chenle in his arms for a few moments, and Chenle took it in slowly, as if time was no longer ticking.

_What?_

His feet hit the ground just as quickly, snapping him out of his trance.

“I got an A!” Jisung repeated, a bright smile on his face. 

“Congratulations!” Chenle said. “I’m proud of you! See what happens when you work hard?” “No, no,” Jisung said, shaking his head. “It’s all thanks to you. You’re the best tutor ever, Chenle. Thank you.”

“Jisung, no,” Chenle tried. “You’re the one who took the test-”

“Chenle,” Jisung said suddenly, looking down at the other boy. “This is because of you. Really, really, really. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Chenle said, sighing. “Congrats, though. Really.”

~

That night, Chenle rolled back and forth in his bed, his face still red just thinking about how close Jisung’s face was to his.

He rolled back to his phone, and called Jaemin, putting the phone on speaker.

“Hello?” Jaemin answered, his voice sounding heavy, as if he had just ran a mile.

“Hey, Jaem?” Chenle asked, unsure. “Are you okay?” “Y-yeah, I, uh, I’m with Jeno right now. What’s up?” “I wanted to tell you about what happened with Jisung but if you’re busy-” “No!” Jaemin shouted. Chenle could faintly hear the sound of shifting around on the other side of the phone, and then Jaemin spoke once more. “Is it cool if Jeno hears this? Oh, fuck- no wait he shouldn’t, right?”

“I-” 

“Oh, actually he’s getting up. Wait-” Jaemin’s voice cut out for a moment, and then suddenly came back. “Just kidding, haha he went to go take a shower.”

“To take a shower?” Chenle questioned. “Are you at his house?”

“Oh, yeah.” Jaemin said casually.

“What… what were you… doing?” Chenle asked warily.

“Big kid stuff,” Jaemin said. 

“What?” “Oh, you know, like kissing, touching, jack-”

“Got it, got it!” Chenle nearly shouted. “Anyway. Uhm. Are you alone? Like, I kind of need you to be alone right now.”

“I’m alone, yeah.”

“Jaemin…”

“Scout’s honor! I swear! Do you want to facetime or something?”

“No, it’s fine.” “Okay so go! Tell me about what happened! I’ve been dying to know for hours now, sir.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Chenle said, laughing. “Okay so he asked me to wait with him while his test was being graded, and we’re like sitting there on the ground outside of the teacher’s lounge, and he starts telling me that he’s sure I’ve never failed anything or whatever, anyway! I said I was confident that he would do well, and he was all like ‘oh, you’re confident in me?’ and I was like… uh yeah? Haha and anyways he moved hella close to me and we were like just about to kiss, when Mr. Nakamoto catches us and stops us. Fuck! I’ll never forgive him. The man says he’ll give me anything I wish for, but the one thing I want is Jisung and look at him! Stopping that! So, yeah, we almost kissed but didn’t. But! He did give me a big hug. He picked me up and twirled me around and it was really cute. And. Ugh. He’s so cute, you know? So, fucking cute! On God I’m about to lose it over this boy, Jaemin. He’s perfect.”

“Wow,” Jaemin replied. “Chenle. He like. He has to like you. What the hell else could that even mean?”

“Exactly!” “Chenle,” Jaemin said, suddenly serious. “You’re about to get a fucking boyfriend.” “You think?” Chenle asked, unsure. “I don’t know, it could have been a spur of the moment kind of thin, you know?” 

“Chenle!” Jaemin suddenly shouted. “He has to like you. I mean, please. Who wouldn’t fall for you?”

“Shut up, Jaem.” 

“I’m being deadass! Oh- shit, okay Jeno is coming out of the shower. Let’s talk more tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay!”

When Jaemin hung up the phone, he looked over to Jeno, who had been sitting beside him, listening the entire time.

“Jen,” Jaemin said curtly. “Does he like Chenle, or is he just being a dick? Because if he doesn’t like him and he’s doing all this-”

“Jaem!” Jeno shouted. “He thinks he’s cute. We haven’t spoken much recently, because of Chenle, actually.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” Jaemin asked.

“It’s like, every time I ask him to hang, he’s either busy studying alone at home or busy studying with Chenle at the library,” Jeno explained. “I only ever see him at practice or in homeroom, and even then, he’s just focused. I’m proud of him, yeah. But, I can honestly see him liking Chenle. Let’s let them find each other, okay?” “Okay,” Jaemin grumbled. He leaned back into Jeno, pushing him against the bed. “Anyways, let’s get back to what we were doing before…”


	9. Chapter 9

Jisung stretched his back out against the chair he was currently sat at, the Calculus book sitting in front of him staring blankly up at him, the words a big, jumbled mess on the pages before him.

“Chenle,” Jisung said, looking up at the other boy, who was sitting across from him typing away at his computer.

“Are you done already?” Chenle asked, not pulling his eyes away from the screen. “See? That wasn’t so bad-”

“I’m not done,” Jisung grumbled. He slid his arms forward, pushing the textbook away from himself as he stared at Chenle warily.

“Do you need help?” Chenle asked, still not looking up from his computer screen.

“No,” Jisung said, placing his chin in his hands as he watched Chenle type. _He’s so pretty._

“Then what’s the matter?” Chenle asked once more. Still not even a glance in Jisung’s direction.

“I don’t want to work on this any more,” Jisung said, closing the book and packing his things away. “Besides, you’re not even paying any attention to me,” he mumbled the last part, not wanting Chenle to hear.

“Are you leaving?” Chenle asked, his eyes growing big with concern as he finally looked up and over at Jisung. 

“N-no…” Jisung said, stopping. “I’ll stay, of course. I just, uhm, can we just talk? My brain is fried… I had three tests this week and I just want to relax. Can we?”

Chenle smiled quietly as he nodded, closing his computer and packing his things away.

“Sure,” He replied. “So, do you think your grades will-”

“No school talk,” Jisung said, interrupting him. “Please.”

“Alright, alright,” Chenle said, nodding. “What do you want to talk about?” “Hmm,” Jisung said, giving it some thought. “Well… I’ve wondered about this for a while I guess, but, what do you want to be when you grow up?” Chenle giggled at the childish nature of Jisung’s question.

_What do I want to be when I grow up?_ Chenle wondered. 

“I don’t really know,” Chenle replied. “I haven’t thought much about it, honestly.”

Jisung nodded at that. “I mean, you’re so smart… you can be anything, right?”

“Well maybe not _anything_ ,” Chenle said, laughing. “But probably a lot of things, yeah. What about you? Inspire me.”

“I want to be a pro soccer player, of course,” Jisung answered, holding his head high as he spoke. 

“I should have known,” Chenle said, nodding. “What made you love soccer so much?” He smiled as he watched Jisung’s eyes sparkle with passion. “My dad was a pro,” Jisung said, smiling. “He played for a team in Japan for a long time, until I was about ten? I think. Then he stopped so he could be with his family. Now he coaches a regional team up north. What about your dad? What does he do?”

“Oh,” Chenle said, his smile disappearing. “He’s, uhm-”

_Ring Ring Ring_

Chenle nearly jumped at the sound of his phone ringing, and he reached into his bag to grab it quickly before answering it.

“Hello?” He asked, not even bothering to look at the caller ID. “Oh. Ge, hi. Sorry, yeah I’m studying-”

Chenle went silent for a moment, as he let the person on the other side of the speak.

Jisung watched Chenle as he listened to what they were saying, until his face went pale and he suddenly stood.

“Chenle-”

Chenle didn’t even look at Jisung, he just started gathering his things, speaking in Chinese at a rapid rate, leaving Jisung confused.

“Yeah, I’ll be right there,” Chenle said, slipping back into Korean as he grabbed his jacket, sending an apologetic look to Jisung before rushing out the door, leaving him there alone.

“What…” Jisung said slowly to himself. “I guess it was an emergency?” He sighed as he finished packing his things up, cleaning up the table as he threw his backpack over his shoulder.

Just as Jisung was about to walk away from the table, something bright pink caught his eye.

He leaned under the table, where he saw a pink, sparkly notebook lying on the ground.

_What is this?_ Jisung wondered, taking the notebook with him as he stepped out of the library. _Did Chenle leave it behind?_

He walked to his car, throwing the notebook into the front pouch of his backpack, not bothering to open it.

~

Chenle flew out of the school running to his car and getting in.

_How could I forget what today is?_ He asked himself as he drove out of the parking lot. _Fuck! I’ve been so distracted._

Chenle drove through the city until he finally arrived at his house.

He ran inside and got changed out of school uniform, putting on a black dress shirt and a pair of black slacks.

After he checked to make sure he looked okay, he quickly threw on a pair of dress shoes, running back out of the house and into his car.

Chenle finally arrived at his destination. It was a large hotel skyscraper in the center of Seoul, the glittering lights of the city bouncing off of it’s boundless windows. Chenle stared up at it for a moment, before he pulled his car into the valet lot, and headed inside.

Chenle took the elevator up to the top floor, this ride being entirely too familiar to him. He took a deep breath as he watched the vast city spread out before him, the gold walls of the elevator gleaming within the reflection of the window. 

Once the elevator doors were open, he stepped out and into the silence of the pent-house restaurant that he had visited countless times. The hostess approached him, taking his coat and putting it in the coat check as he was escorted to his table.

The same table he sat at every year, on the left side of the building, right beside the window.

He smiled as he met eyes with his older brother, who was sitting at the table, reading the menu. His brother smiled back, nodding as Chenle sat across from him.

“I apologize, Sicheng Ge,” Chenle said, catching his breath. “I tutor another student after school, and I lost complete track of time. Have you ordered yet?” “Not yet,” Sicheng replied, looking back at the menu. “You didn’t tell me that you were tutoring another student. Did you volunteer?”

“Yes,” Chenle lied. “I wanted to keep my reputation up, of course. He’s a nice student. A soccer player-”

“Are you getting the usual?” Sicheng asked, closing the menu and placing it back on top of the table. 

“Oh- yes,” Chenle replied, nodding.

The two sat in silence after their order was taken. Sicheng stared out the window, watching as the cars drove by.

“It would have been 25 years,” He said suddenly. “Tonight. 25 years. Can you believe that?” He didn’t look at Chenle as he spoke, not daring to make eye contact.

“I know,” Chenle replied, a small smile coming to his lips. “They really loved each other.”

“They did,” Sicheng said.

“Dad had such incredible luck, remember?” Chenle asked, his smile widening. “He always said his luck was crazy simply because he met mom. And then he would prove it to us by betting on some random sports game and winning, or by killing one of mom’s flowers and then having it come back the following Spring. He was so cool…”

“He was,” Sicheng replied. “And he really did have great luck. Oh, I’m assuming you visited them over your break?” “Yes,” Chenle answered. “The flowers were beautiful. Hyacinths. Mom’s favorite. You know, Jaemin said he wants to visit them with me next time I go. I think it’ll be nice for him to see them again, don’t you think?” “Sure,” Sicheng replied, finally matching Chenle’s gaze. “Whatever you wish.”

“Do you think,” Chenle started, his voice weak. “Do you think they suffered?”

“What?” Sicheng asked, his eyes dark.

“Well… I think about it all the time, you know.” Chenle explained. “The doctors said they were killed on impact, but I don’t think-”

“Chenle,” Sicheng said, his voice urgent. “Why are you suddenly bringing that up now?”

“I told you,” Chenle said, looking up to match his brother’s gaze. “I’ve been thinking about it. I know you know more than me, so please just tell me-”

“They didn’t suffer,” Sicheng replied. “I promise. They didn’t. Now enough, you’re a child. There is no need for you to concern yourself over these matters.”

Chenle was about to continue on, but their food had arrived, filling the table with silence.

It was clear that the previous topic was no longer up for discussion, Chenle could see.

As the pair sat there, eating quietly, Chenle couldn’t help but let his mind wander to Jisung.

_I’ll have to text him when I get home. I left him hanging without a word of explanation. I have to apologize._

“What are you thinking about?” Sicheng asked suddenly, pulling Chenle from his thoughts.

“O-oh, nothing,” Chenle replied. “By the way, Ge. How are things going with the company?” “I’ve been following dad’s plan to a T, if that’s what you’re wondering,” Sicheng answered simply. 

“Is there much left to be fulfilled?” Chenle asked curiously. “You’ve been working on it for the past three years, is it not yet done?” “I’m only about halfway through it,” Sicheng replied. “There is still plenty to be done. I’ll leave things to the side for when you join the company after college. Don’t worry, I wouldn’t take that away from you.”

“I know,” Chenle said, nodding. 

_When I join the company after college…_

Chenle’s mind wandered back to his conversation with Jisung. 

_What do I want to be when I grow up?_ Chenle wondered, mulling over the question once more. _Not a businessman, that’s for sure._

~

Once their dinner was over, Sicheng and Chenle rode the elevator down to the first floor together, and Sicheng paid the valet drivers for both his and Chenle’s cars.

“I’ll see you next year,” Sicheng said simply. “Goodbye, Chenle.”

“Goodbye, Ge,” Chenle replied. He walked to his car and drove home in silence, thinking the dinner over.

Chenle arrived home and walked into his living room, standing before a large picture of his parents that sat high above the mantel.

In the darkness of the night, Chenle smiled up at them before bowing.

“Happy anniversary,” He said, before traveling up the stairs and into his bedroom.


	10. Chapter 10

Jaemin and Jeno were sitting at a table in the window of a small cafe that they had come to frequent recently.

The sun was just hitting it’s setting point, and Jaemin stared out the window in wonder, watching as the tops of the surrounding buildings devoured what was left of the sun.

“Jaemin,” Jeno said suddenly, gaining the other boy’s attention.

“What’s up?” Jaemin asked, turning and facing his boyfriend. 

“I was just thinking about what Chenle said on the phone last night,” Jeno began. “It reminded me uhm, of something kind of silly that Jisung and I had planned out.” “And what’s that?” Jaemin asked curiously.

“Promise you won’t get mad or laugh or break up with me?” Jeno asked sweetly.

“That’s a lot to promise but sure,” Jaemin said, smiling. “Let me hear it.”

“So I’ve had a crush on you for a long time,” Jeno started. He watched Jaemin as he spoke. “Since like, freshman year, I think? Anyway, Jisung knew that. He really wanted you and I to get together, so he sort of made it his mission to set us up? He devised this big plan in his head about how he would set us up and everything. That’s actually the reason he went and talked to you guys back all those weeks ago. He wanted to become friends with Chenle, so he could bring you and I together.”

Jaemin’s jaw nearly dropped. “Jen-”

“Wait, wait,” Jeno said, stopping him. “Before you can get mad, let me finish. It didn’t really end up working, er- well, maybe it did? Anyway, I’m glad you and I are together now. But, Jisung chose to still hang with Chenle and befriend him and all of that on his own accord. Uhm, yeah. So.”

“Jeno,” Jaemin said, biting his lip. “Chenle and I had a plan to bring him and Jisung together, just like you and Jisung.”

“What?” Jeno exclaimed. “No way, no way!” “Yeah,” Jaemin said, nodding. “Except, well, ours was more of a me thing than a me and Chenle thing, but he was still down for it. It’s just, well, he’s liked Jisung for forever, you know? Anyways, it wasn’t in my head. I wrote, and have been, writing everything out that has happened between them for the last few weeks. I keep it all in this big, pink notebook- wait. Fuck.”

“What’s up?” Jeno asked, confused.

“Ugh, I left the notebook in Chenle’s bag the other day after I almost got caught writing in it in class,” Jaemin explained as he ran a hand through his hair. “I wanted to write in it tonight but I guess I’ll have to get it from Chenle on Monday. No biggie.” “Oh, okay,” Jeno replied. 

~

Chenle was sitting at his desk, working on homework, when he remembered how he left Jisung without any warning or apology earlier that afternoon.

He pulled his phone out, texting the other boy a quick apology.

_**Chenle (11:46 pm)** _

**__** _Hey_

_I’m sorry about earlier_

_It was a family thing that I completely forgot about haha_

~

Jisung was stepping out of his bathroom, scrubbing his hair dry with a towel, when he heard the sound of his phone dinging.

He walked over to where his phone was laying on his bed, and once he saw Chenle’s name pop up, he remembered the book he had found on the floor of the library.

 _Oh, shoot. Let me text Chenle a picture of this book to see if it’s even his._ Jisung thought to himself. 

He walked over to where his backpack was laying in the corner of the room, and reached inside, grabbing the bright pink book.

“This is less of a notebook and more of a diary,” Jisung said to himself as he curiously flipped through the pages with his thumb, watching as random drawings and scribbles filled nearly every page, until the pages stopped turning. They stopped where a white ribbon bookmark was tucked tightly between the pages.

“Hm?” Jisung said to himself. He opened the book fully, his eyes slowly reading over the page.

Written in big font were the words: 

OPERATION CHENJI

THE PLAN:

Jaemin gets close to Jeno, they become friends, they bring their two besties together, and wham ! Chenji. 

TIME PERIOD:

Like three months ?? Maybe two.

LIST OF EVENTS IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER:

Chenle talks to Jisung and now he’s whipped ?? bet

Jisung approached Chenle ??? HUH ??? so what you’re saying is he wants him,, okay great.

Jaemin runs into Jisung skipping class… obviously uses his charm to score a hangout

Jaemin FINALLY gets them to sit with him and Chenle during lunch (jaemin best boy)

THE APPLEBEES GODS HAVE SPOKEN

Flying Papers? Flying Hearts? Love Is In The Air! (Jaemin makes it snow <3)

Randomly… Jaemin starts to like Jeno ~~back~~ ??? (NEW)

Jaemin gets himself a boyfriend because he’s the worst ever and his magic sucks -Chenle

CHENLE BIG BRAIN!! HE SAVES HIS PRECIOUS DAMSEL IN DISTRESS, JISUNG PARK

JISUNG CALLS CHENLE CUTE ??????????? KISS HIM NOW PLS

Jisung stops TRAFFIC for Chenle. Bro I- just confess already ? (also the new soccer uniforms? chef’s kiss)

 ~~FUCK JISUNG PARK MEN ARE TRASH KILL ALL MEN IMMEDIATELY~~

Jisung apologized for being such an ASSHOLE <333

CHENLE ZHONG BEST LUCK EVER ??? YES BE HIS HOT TEACHER MR. PRESIDENT !!

Chenle scores his number ??? GO BESTIE THAT’S MY FUCKIN BESTIE OKAY BEST FRIENDDDDD

Jisung cutest ever. He carries textbooks?? Sir <333333333 -Chenle

He walked Chenle to his car?? Is that man a girl scout cause here are some Brownie Points

He thinks Chenle’s funny I- THAT’S a first

Jisung’s eyes went wide as he read over the page. He took in every word carefully, realizing what it meant.

“Chenle…” Jisung said to himself, trailing off. “Chenle… he likes me?”

Jisung sat on his bed as he read the words on the page over and over and over again, repeating them in his head. His heart began to beat faster at the thought of Chenle actually liking him.

 _Do I… Do I like him back?_ Jisung wondered. _I do. I really, really, really do. Chenle. Tomorrow, I’m going to make you mine. Just you wait._

~

The following morning, Chenle woke up fairly late. Something felt off as he wandered out of his bedroom and down the stairs, heading into his kitchen to make himself something for breakfast.

He looked at the clock on the microwave, _1:28 pm_ Chenle grumbled as he swept a hand through his hair, opening the refrigerator and taking out the milk.

 _Why am I up so late on a Saturday?_ Chenle wondered to himself. _Normally I’m up by eight…_

He peered out the kitchen window and watched as the cold sky filled with dark clouds. _Oh, God. It looks like a storm is coming, too… Hmm…_

He poured out a bowl of cereal for himself, then walked around the house, making sure no one was inside.

“Something feels off…” Chenle mumbled to himself as he climbed the stairs, stepping back into his room. He took his phone off of his nightstand and opened up his conversation with Jisung from the previous night. 

“Still no response,” Chenle said silently to himself. He placed his phone on his desk as he went to the bathroom.

After taking a shower and finishing cleaning up, Chenle put on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, deciding that he would go buy groceries later that day.

He walked back into his bedroom, and immediately, his eyes were drawn to the appearance of a new message on his phone.

“A picture?” Chenle asked the room. “Jisung sent me a picture? What could it be-” Chenle nearly dropped his phone onto the floor once he opened his phone.

Jisung sent two messages. One was a picture of the oh-so-familiar pink notebook that Chenle knew way too well, and the other was a simple text that said ‘i’m coming over’. 

Without another moment of thought, Chenle threw his phone on his bed and ran down the stairs, slipping on a pair of vans and running out of the house. 

He ran through his neighborhood, and across the city, trying to escape Jisung’s impending arrival. 

~

Jisung smiled proudly to himself as he got into his car and started driving over to Chenle’s house. It was 2:30 by the time he arrived, and he pulled his car into the driveway next to Chenle’s. He had a bouquet of roses in his left hand as he stood at the door, ringing the doorbell and waiting. And waiting. And waiting. 

“He’s gotta be home…” Jisung mumbled to himself. He glanced once more at Chenle’s car, before pulling out his phone and calling the other boy. 

No response.

“What the hell?” Jisung asked himself. He typed Jeno’s number into the dialpad, and waited for him to answer.

“Hello?” An unfamiliar voice answered the phone, confusing Jisung.

“Er- Jeno?” “Oh, shoot, sorry this is Jaemin. Jen’s driving right now, haha. Anyway, what’s up?” “Jaemin?” Jisung questioned.

“Yeah…?”

“Uhm, I have your notebook,” Jisung said simply.

“...”

“Jaemin?”

“...”

“Jaem-”

“You what?” Jaemin shouted into the phone. “Where did you get it? Did Chenle give it to you? Did you read it? Where’s Chenle?” “That’s actually what I want to know,” Jisung replied. “Chenle dropped it yesterday at the library and uh, I took it with me because I wanted to give it back to him… anyways I happened to read what was bookmarked in here and-”

“Does Chenle know you read it?” Jaemin interjected.

“I hope so,” Jisung said. “I texted him a picture of it, haha. Anyways, I’ve been standing outside his house for ten minutes waiting for him and he-”

“You what?!”

“I’m outside his house?” “He- oh my, fucking uhm, uhm, uh,” Jaemin cut out for a moment, then his voice appeared again. “You said Chenle isn’t answering the door?” “Nope,” Jisung said. “So, I’m waiting. He hasn’t answered my calls so can you try him?”

“I checked his location,” Jaemin replied. “It says he’s home, but I don’t know why he isn’t answering the door.”

“I’m surprised his mom or dad hasn’t answered the door yet... or his brother? He said he has a brother, too-”

“He lives alone,” Jaemin said, cutting Jisung off.

“Huh?” Jisung questioned. “He’s in high school. There’s no way he lives alone.”

“He does,” Jaemin said simply. “Anyway, he probably isn’t answering because you scared him, you idiot. Fuck, men are so fucking dumb! Just dumb. Ugh.”

“So he’s ignoring me?” Jisung asked, his voice faltering. 

“Maybe,” Jaemin replied. “But that isn’t like Chenle. At the very least, he would let you in. Hm.”

“Do you think he left?”

“Fuck,” Jaemin said quietly. “If he did, then he doesn’t have his phone on him, so I have no clue where he could have gone. And it’s going to storm later. If he isn’t home soon he’ll get sick.”

“Do you have any ideas of where he could be?” Jisung asked. “Maybe the school? Or the store? Maybe your house? Or, uhm, maybe his brother’s house? I don’t know-”

“I think,” Jaemin said, pulling the phone away from his mouth for a moment. “He might have gone to the location I just sent you. But Jisung-”

Before Jaemin could finish what he was saying, Jisung hung up the phone and got into his car, typing the address into his GPS.

~

Chenle was hunched over himself, standing at the gates of a cemetery. He tried to catch his breath as he heaved his breath in and out of his lungs, forcing the breath down his throat.

Once he finally calmed down a bit, he walked into the cemetery. He took his time as he walked past the graves, bowing his head to each one slowly.

Finally, Chenle stopped.

He stood before a large grave, it being two headstones beside one another.

“Hi,” He greeted, bowing deeply. “Mom, Dad, how are you?” He placed a hand against the cold surface of the headstone. “Something happened… and well, I didn’t know where else to go. I know that I have Jaemin, but he has a boyfriend now, and he’s a really great guy! But they’re together today, and I didn’t want to bother him. And Ge, he… well… he probably wouldn’t care much if I did go to him. So, here I am. Sorry for coming unannounced. I’m sure you’re busy. Can we chat for a while?”

At the lack of response, Chenle continued.

“Mom,” He said, turning to the headstone on his right side. “Do you remember that boy I liked? Jisung? Well, big surprise, I still like him. Even after all these years. He and I became friends recently, and things were going really great but… I think I messed things up. I like him so much, and now that I ruined it, I just feel… dumb. I think, honestly, that it’s more than a crush. He’s perfect, you know? He’s so handsome, and sweet. He has such a strong passion for soccer, too. Still! I know. I think I love him, mom.”

Chenle could feel the pitter patter of rain as the sky began to cry, the silence of the Earth erupting all around him.

“It’s raining,” Chenle whispered. He looked down at his hands and watched as small droplets of water fell onto them. “The sky… and I… we’re crying.”

He looked back up to the headstones and smiled.

“Dad,” Chenle continued. “I love you, okay? Mom, you too. I’m sorry for bothering you. Do you think… Hah. Do you think Jisung could… feel the same?”

At the end of Chenle’s question, the sky roared with thunder.

He nodded as tears flooded his face, falling rapidly from his eyes. 

“I’ll come back soon, then,” Chenle said, bowing once more. “Be nice when I bring him, okay? It can be scary to meet someone’s parents for the first time.” He smiled and waved goodbye, walking to the cemetery gates once more.

~

Jisung stopped his car once his GPS told him that he had arrived at his destination. He watched warily as the heavy rain began to pelt at his windshield.

 _I don’t have an umbrella… fuck._ Jisung thought to himself, before he took a deep breath and stepped out of the car. He looked up to the area in which he had arrived, and it was mostly empty pavement and a few small buildings next to a large field. He took a deep breath as he realized where he was.

“A cemetery…” Jisung mumbled to himself as he looked all around himself, searching for Chenle. “Why would he be at a cemetery?”

Jisung was getting soaked by the rain, but he still walked around and searched for Chenle. This was the only idea he had of where the boy could possibly be, and he huffed out a sigh as he was beginning to lose hope, until he saw a small figure emerge onto the main path of the cemetery. 

Jisung took a deep breath as he waited for Chenle to notice him.

Chenle lurched up the muddy path, his head low as tears fell from his eyes. Once he reached the gates, he brought his gaze up, and met eyes with Jisung.

“Ji-” Before Chenle could even finish what he was trying to say, Jisung was wrapping him tightly in his arms. 

The pair stood there in silence, the rain falling around them, filling the air with the gentle sound of the sky’s tears, which masked Chenle’s.

“Are you okay?” Jisung finally asked, breaking the silence. He pulled away from Chenle, just the slightest bit. He could see that there were tears falling from the smaller boy’s eyes, and nodded his head as he combed his fingers through his hair slowly. “Let’s get you home, okay? You need to get changed and calm down.”

Chenle didn’t speak as Jisung led him to his car.

~

Once they had arrived at Chenle’s house, the two boys -who were now soaked to the bone in rain water- walked inside.

Chenle led Jisung into his bedroom, and quietly gathered clean clothes from his drawers, handing them over to Jisung in a neat pile.

“You can shower in my bathroom,” He said simply, pointing to a door that was attached to his room. “I’ll shower in my parent’s room. We can… talk… after. Okay?”

“Okay,” Jisung replied. 

He stepped into the bathroom and ran the hot water, standing underneath it as confusion, as well as dozens of questions, ran through his head.

Just as Chenle was stepping out of his parents room, done with his shower, Jisung wsa stepping out of his bathroom, done with his.

“So,” Jisung said, sitting on Chenle’s bed. “Why, uhm, why were you at a cemetery? Can I ask that… or…?”

Chenle sighed as he sat down beside the taller boy. 

“I was visiting my parents,” Chenle said simply.

“Oh, I… I’m sorry Chenle I didn’t mean-”

“It’s okay,” Chenle said, smiling softly as he placed a hand on Jisung’s knee. “Let’s talk about those messages. Okay?”

“Chenle, I…” Jisung started, taking a deep breath as he looked into the other boy’s eyes. “I like you.”

“What?” Chenle said, his eyes widening. “What do you mean?” “I mean that I like you. I want you to be my boyfriend,” Jisung said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “You do like me back, don’t you? Because the notebook-”

“You read it?” Chenle asked.

“I thought that was obvious,” Jisung said, laughing. “After the texts I sent this morning… You couldn’t tell?”

“I… I was kind of lost, this morning,” Chenle replied. He looked out the window as the sun began to set, the room growing dark.

“So,” Jisung said, poking Chenle’s thigh. “Do you… like me back?”

Chenle smiled, thinking back to when he had visited his parents. 

_The thunder._

“Yes,” Chenle said, placing his hand over Jisung’s. “I like you back, Jisung. I have for… years now.”

“Then is it okay if I…” Jisung said, trailing off as he played with his wet hair. “Can I kiss you?”

Chenle nodded slowly, a blush creeping onto his face.

Jisung smirked slowly as he leaned forward, knocking Chenle back onto the bed. He placed one hand on either side of Chenle’s head, and then he pressed their foreheads together for a moment, before settling his lips against Chenle’s.

Their first kiss was slow, sweet, and blissful.

Chenle raised his head just slightly, pulling Jisung in for more. 

They fell into each other softly, building a rhythm as Jisung’s wet hair mixed in with Chenle’s. The sun set behind them, enveloping the room in darkness.


	11. Afterword

Chenle was sitting beside Jaemin in the bleachers, watching as the soccer team ran all across the field, kicking the ball between one another.

“Do you have any idea what’s going on?” Jaemin mumbled, turning to look at Chenle.

“No clue,” Chenle replied, matching Jaemin’s gaze. “I think we’re winning, though? The score is 5 to 8 us, so… we’re winning yeah. Jisung said this is the last game until the state championships, so if they win I think that’s good? Anyway, it’s almost over… do you wanna head to the locker room to meet them before the rush?”

“Yeah,” Jaemin said, rising from his seat. 

The two boys walked down the bleachers and through the waves of people who were standing and cheering. They got down to the locker room door that lay beneath the stadium, and stood there as they heard the buzzer go off, signaling the end of the game.

Within a few minutes, the soccer players came bounding down into the tunnel, all of them yelling, and screaming with excitement.

“I guess they did win,” Jaemin said to Chenle. They both laughed for a bit, searching for their boyfriends in the crowd of players.

“Pres!” One of the boys shouted. A few of them stopped, turning their heads to bow and cheer at Chenle. 

“H-Hi, boys,” Chenle said, bowing to them.

“Looking pretty as always,” Another voice came from the crowd. Chenle looked up and met eyes with Jisung, who was smirking down at him, his black hair slick to his forehead with sweat.

“Thank you,” Chenle replied. Jaemin sighed as he walked away in search of Jeno. 

“Do you want to go somewhere?” Jisung asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Somewhere?” Chenle asked. “Where?”

“It’s a surprise…” Jisung said, pouting. “Okay?” “Okay, okay,” Chenle said, nodding. “Please go shower and put normal clothes on.”

“Fine,” Jisung grumbled. He leaned down for a moment, kissing Chenle on the forehead quickly. “Wait here a minute.”

~

Chenle and Jisung waved goodbye to Jaemin and Jeno, and rode off into the city. Chenle rolled his window down as Jisung drove, letting the warm June air brush against his skin.

Jisung glanced over at him every few minutes, happy to watch the smaller boy in such a state of comfort.

Chenle knew exactly where they were when they arrived, and he looked over to Jisung warily as he parked the car.

“Are you sure?” He asked. “It doesn’t have to be now if you don’t want to-” “I need luck,” Jisung said simply. He stared ahead at the windshield as he spoke. “You always say your dad’s a lucky guy, and I need his luck for the championship game next week. Do you think he’ll give me some?”

“Yeah,” Chenle replied, his eyesight becoming hazy with tears.

Jisung took Chenle’s hand as they walked through the cemetery gates, and Chenle led the way to his parent’s grave.

“Mom, Dad,” Chenle greeted, bowing to them. “This is Jisung. He’s my boyfriend. Please be nice! He’s nervous,” He whispered the last part just quiet enough for the wind to hear, and then stepped aside as Jisung walked forward, bowing deeply to the two headstones.

“Mother, Father,” He said, smiling. “I’m Jisung Park. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well here we are again !! wow another work completed... it's crazy how time flies like that. anyways, thank you for reading !! i had so much fun writing this fic, and i know it isn't perfect but it made me super happy to write, so i hope it made you feel the same.  
> as always you can follow my twt @zhongwritings and send me and kind words or messages through curiouscat @zhongwritings <333 thank you !!!


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